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SITY  LIBRARY 

F  MASSACHUSETTS 
T 
RST 


HISTORY  OF  GARDNER. 


HIS  T  O  K  Y 


G  A  R  D  N  E  II 


MASSACHUSETTS, 


FROM    ITS    EARLIEST    SETTLEMENT    TO    18  60 


LEWIS     GLAZIER 


WORCESTER: 
PRINTED       BY       C   H   A   S  .       HAMILTON 

CENTRAL     EXCHANGE. 
1  S  0  0  . 


TO  THE  READER. 

This  work  was  left  unfinished  by  the  author  at  the  time 
of  his  death ;  he  had  collected  together  most  of  the  scat- 
tered materials  of  which  it  is  composed,  leaving  it  in  a  form, 
that  little  else  was  to  be  done  but  to  prepare  it  for  the  press. 

In  putting  this  work  together,  I  may  fail  to  mention  some 
things  that  ought  to  be  recorded,  for  want  of  information. 
I  have  taken  considerable  pains  to  learn  what  I  could  with 
regard  to  the  Town  since  its  formation  as  such,  to  the 
present  time. 

A  very  interesting  part  of  the  history  of  some  towns  will 
be  lost  sight  of  here  ;  I  refer  to  those  places  that  were  once 
settled  by  the  Indians ;  some  of  them  were  one  hundred 
and  forty  years  previous  to  the  incorporation  of  this  town. 

To  you  who  have  given  your  patronage  by  kindly  furnish- 
ing us  with  statistical  and  other  facts,  with  regard  to  the 
ecclesiastical,  the  manufacturing,  the  mechanical,  and  other 
interests  of  the  people  here,  I  would  return  my  sincere 
thanks.  m.  k.  g. 


INTRODUCTION. 

I  am  aware  that  it  would  seem  to  be  the  very  height 
of  presumption  for  a  man  at  the  age  of  eighty-six,  to 
attempt  to  write  a  book.  My  object  in  the  first  place 
was  merely  to  note  down  some  facts  with  regard  to  the 
early  history  of  Gardner,  recorded  only  in  the  memory 
of  a  few  of  the  oldest  inhabitants  of  the  Town.  The 
pleasure  experienced  in  this  employment  was  such  as  to 
lead  me  to  extend  it  to  the  present  time. 

Some  may  object  to  the  minuteness  of  detail,  and  fa- 
miliarity of  scene  indulged  by  the  author.  Every  writer 
has  his  own  way  of  stating  things  ;  his  peculiar  mode  of 
address  ;  his  individual  style  of  writing.  Then  too,  the 
tastes  of  readers  differ  widely  ;  what  is  dull  to  one  may 
be  interesting  to  another ;  facts  may  be  recorded  that  will 
afford  interest  in  reading  to  those  who  may  recollect  the 
circumstances  in  connection,  that  would  appear  dry  or 
insipid  to  one  of  the  present  generation.  I  am  aware 
that  it  will  be  remarked,  (and  with  truth  too,)  that  "I 
could  have  written  a  better  history  myself,  or  at  least  a 
more  interesting  one.''     ^Ye  do  not  make  special  claims 


INTRODUCTION.  Vii. 

to  erudition,  or  a  style  of  writing  which  *shall  attract  for 
its  novelty.  I  doubt  not  your  friend  could  have  done 
better  in  the  meridian  of  life. 

I  would  cherish  the  hope  therefore,  that  this  little 
volume  may  find  readers  whose  charity  will  induce  them 
to  deal  gently  with  the  infirmities  of  age.  In  writing 
this  history  we  shall  endeavor  to  avoid  all  prejudice  or 
partiality,  and  hope  it  may  meet  with  a  kind  reception 
from  an  indulgent  public. 

Gardner,  Sept.,  1857. 


TABLE  OF   CONTENTS 


Incorporation  of  the  Town, 

Situation  and  Extent, 

Family  History, 

Town  History, 

Notice  of  Daniel  Shays,     .. 

Power  and  Duty  of  the  Overseers  of  the  Poor, 

Power  and  Duty  of  the  Master  of  the  Work -house, 

Duty  of  the  Inmates, 

List  of  ToAvn  Officers, 

Valuation,  &c., 

Amount  of  Money  raised  in  1858,  exclusive  of  Highway  Tax, 

List  of  Persons  paying  Twenty  Dollars  and  upwards, 

lloads, 

Military, 

Fire  Department,     .. 

Music, 

Fires  and  Injuries  by  Lightning, 

Hailstorm, 

Casualties,   .. 

Cemeteries, 

Justices  of  the  Peace, 

Medical  Practitioners, 

Schools, 

Business, 

Libraries,     .. 

Ecclesiastical  History, 


Page 
9 
10 
H 
57 
86 
94 
9« 
9f> 
99 
110 
110 
110 
114 
115 
118 
118 
119 
122 
122 
127 
129 
129 
131 
133 
137 
137 


HISTORY    OF   GARDNER, 


INCORPOKATION  OF  THE  TOWN. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1785,  Mr.  John  Gla- 
zier, of  Westminster,  drew  a  petition  to  which 
he  obtained  about  thirty  signatures,  and  pre- 
sented it  to  the  Massachusetts  Legislature,  pray- 
ing that  honorable  body  to  set  off  from  the  north- 
westerly part  of  AVestminster,  the  west  part  of 
Ashburnham,  the  south  portion  of  Winchendon, 
and  the  east  part  of  Templeton,  all  in  the  County 
of  Worcester,  land  enough  for  a  Town.  And 
in  duty  bound  will  your  petitioners  ever  pray. 
Accordingly  the  Legislature  granted  their  re- 
quest and  incorporated  a  Town  by  the  name  of 
Gardner,  in  honor  of  Col.  Thomas  Gardner,  a 
noble  patriot,  who  fell  in  battle  fighting  for  the 
liberty  of  his  country. 

Gardner  was  incorporated  June  15th,  1785. 
The  number  of  inhabitants  then  in  town  were 
about  three  hundred  and  seventy-five,  and  sixty 

2 


10 


HISTORY  OF  GARDNER. 


families;  they  were  poor  (with  few  exceptions) 
and  lived  in  small  ordinary  honses;  like  new 
settlers  in  other  places,  they  were  obliged  to 
labor  hard  to  subdue  the  land  and  bring  it  into 
a  state  of  cultivation.  There  were  but  few  me- 
chanics in  town  at  this  time  ; — three  blacksmiths, 
four  carpenters,  and  three  shoe-makers. 

SITUATION  AND  EXTENT. 

Gardner  is  situated  fifty-eight  miles  north-west 
from  Boston,  and  twenty-five  miles  north  from 
Worcester.  It  is  4:21'^  north  latitude,  and  con- 
tains about  nineteen  square  miles,  or  14,000 
acres. 

Its  surface  is  uneven ;  there  are  no  mountains 
in  the  place,  though  the  traveler,  in  passing 
through  the  town,  would  think  it  pretty  well 
dotted  with  hills. 

There  is  a  very  pleasant  one  east  of  the  com- 
mon, familiarly  known  by  the  name  of  Esq'r  Gla- 
zier's hill,  now  owned  by  Capt.  Joel  Cowee. 
About  one-half  mile  west  of  the  common,  is 
another,  owned  by  Dea.  S.  W.  Bancroft.  South- 
west of  the  common  is  one  OAvned  by  William 
Lynde.  In  a  south-east  direction  is  one  belongs 
ing  to  Dr.  Parker,  formerly  known  by  the  name 
of  Capt.  Bickford's  hill. 


HISTORY  OF  GARDNER. 


11 


The  original  growth  of  timber  in  this  town, 
was  beech,  birch,  maple,  hemlock  and  ash,  with 
some  elm  and  bass-wood.  In  the  west  part  of 
the  town  was  a  large  growth  of  white  pine.  A 
walnut  tree  may  be  found  on  the  land  of  Capt. 
John  Edgell,  nearly  opposite  his  residence ;  its 
origin  was  a  walnut  from  West  Boylston,  planted 
by  Mrs.  John  Glazier,  in  the  year  1800.  An- 
other of  the  same  description  is  located  in  the 
garden  of  Jonathan  Brown;  the  walnut  was 
planted  by  a  brother  of  his,  when  a  lad. 

The  soil  is  better  adapted  to  grass  than  grain. 

A  little  north-west  and  near  the  centre  of  the 
town,  is  a  beautiful  pond,  about  a  mile  in  length 
and  nearly  one-half  a  mile  wide;  it  is  so  well 
known  by  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  that  it 
needs  no  description;  suffice  it  to  say,  that  it  is 
a  pleasant  resort  for  the  pleasure-seeker  and 
lover  of  nature,  as  many  can  testify  who  have 
enjoyed  a  sail  across  its  smooth  waters.*  There 
is  also  a  small  pond  in  the  i  south-westerly  part 
of  the  town. 

Gardner  is  pretty  well  watered,  although  there 
are  not  many  large  streams  in  it.     Otter  river 


*  Since  writing  the  above,  at  a  meeting;  for  the  purpose,  the  Town  voted  to 
give  the  name  of  Crystal  Lake  to  this  pond  ;  a  very  appropriate  name  for  so 
clear  a  body  of  water. 


■I  2  HISTORY  OF  GARDNER. 

runs  four  or  five  miles  on  the  south-west  side  of 
the  town. 

There  is  a  brook  having  its  rise  in  Winchen- 
don,  called  the  Bailey  brook,  running  through  the 
westerly  part  of  the  town  and  uniting  with  Otter 
river  near  the  Goodnow  mills,  so  called. 

Another,  by  the  name  of  Kneeland  brook, 
rises  in  the  northerly  part  of  the  town  and  runs 
in  a  southerly  direction  nearly  parallel  with  the 
Bailey  brook,  terminating  in  Otter  river,  just  be- 
low Parker  &c  Bancroft's  saw-mill.  On  this 
stream  there  is  a  large  tract  of  meadow-land 
which  is  supposed  to  have  been  cleared  by  bea- 
vers, as  there  was  no  wood  or  timber  thereon  at 
the  time  of  the  first  settlement. 

There  is  another,  rising  in  the  north  part  of 
the  town,  between  the  other  two,  called  the  Wil- 
der brook  ;  after  running  in  a  southerly  direction 
it  unites  with  the  Kneeland  brook  at  the  upper 
end  of  beaver  meadow. 

About  one-half  a  mile  north-east  of  Gardner 
center,  may  be  found  the  head  of  a  stream  run- 
ning in  a  north-easterly  direction,  through  South 
Ashburnham,  a  corner  of  Westminster,  and  on- 
ward, losing  itself  in  the  Nashua  river. 

There  are  two  streams  rising  in  the  east  part 
of  the  town;  after  making  very  circuitous  courses, 


HISTORY  OF  GARDNER. 


13 


they  unite  a  little  above  the  mills  of  E.  C.  J.  and 
O.  A.  Travers.  After  their  junction  they  con- 
tinue in  a  south-westerly  course  to  Otter  river, 
near  the  ]3ail  factory  of  Amasa  Bancroft. 

There  is  another  stream  of  some  size,  which 
has  its  rise  in  the  town  of  Hubbardston,  running 
in  a  northerly  direction  and  uniting  with  one  of 
the  last  mentioned  streams,  near  the  house  of 
Joseph  Maynard.  On  this  stream  is  a  large  res- 
ervoir for  the  benefit  of  the  mills  below. 

The  last  stream  which  I  shall  mention,  is  called 
the  Pond  brook :  it  is  the  outlet  of  Crystal  lake, 
and  runs  in  a  southerly  direction  into  Otter  river; 
on  this  stream,  as  also  on  most  of  the  others,  are 
more  or  less  mills,  of  which  I  shall  speak  more 
particularly  hereafter.  It  will  be  seen  by  the 
preceding,  that  the  people  of  Gardner  have  geo- 
graphically taken  a  high  stand ;  as  the  water 
flows  from  its  surface  in  opposite  directions  to 
the  Connecticut  and  Merrimac  rivers. 


2* 


FAMILY   HISTORY. 

The  early  inhabitants  of  the  town  were  from 
the  State  of  Massachusetts ;  from  thirty  different 
towns,  and  mostly  from  the  counties  of  Middlesex 
and  Worcester.  They  w^ere  distinguished  as  a 
class  of  people  for  their  independence,  perse- 
vering enterprise,  intelligence,  industry  and  pro- 
bity. 

They  w^ere  subject  to  many  hardships  and  pri- 
vations. Without  roads  or  carriages,  or  even 
beasts  of  burden ;  their  own  shoulders  bore  their 
grain  to  the  distant  mill,  w^itli  no  other  guide 
than  marked  trees.  With  the  lofty  forests  frown- 
ing upon  every  side,  it  was  their  mission  to  "go 
ahead "  with  their  iron  powers  of  locomotion, 
and  make  glad  "  the  wilderness  and  the  solitary 
place,"  while  "  the  desert  shall  rejoice  and  blos- 
som as  the  rose." 

We  would  not  regard  it  as  a  calamity  that  we 
have  in  this  department  so  little  that  is  allied  to 
fame ;  it  is  but  the  common  lot  of  humanity. 
While  it  is  true  that  few  of  our  citizens  have 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


15 


been  known  to  fame,  it  is  also  true  that  fewer 
have  been  known  to  infamy.  As  it  is  of  fami- 
liar every-day  incident,  mainly,  that  the  fabric 
of  life  is  formed,  we  therefore  claim  an  equality 
with  common  people. 

Without  doubt  there  may  be  found  some  mis- 
takes in  connection  with  the  family  register: 
this  part  of  the  work  has  been  the  most  labori- 
ous and  difficult  to  the  writer.  To  those  who 
have  aided  us  in  collecting  these  materials  we 
render  our  sincere  and  hearty  thanks. 

If  the  register  of  any  family  is  omitted  resid- 
ing in  town  previous  to  the  year  1800,  it  is  be- 
cause it  could  not  be  gathered  from  any  accessi- 
ble sources  of  information. 


Abbreviations. — Dan.  for  daughter,  m.  for  married,  ch.  for  children,  ae.  for 
ag"e,  andd.  for  died. 

EARLY    SETTLERS. 

Bickford,  Capt.  William,  from  Reading,  bought  a  tract  of 
land  on  the  great  road  to  Royalston  :  he  put  up  a  saw  and 
grist-mill, — the  first  that  were  built  in  Gardner, — where  E. 
C.  J.  &  0.  A.  Travers'  chair-shop  now  stands.  He  was  in- 
strumental in  building  up  the  town ;  was  chosen  Captain  of 
the  first  Militia  company  formed  here.  He  served  a  pe- 
riod in  the  French  war  at  Nova  Scotia,  and  would  have  been  a 


16 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


pensioner  had  he  lived  until  the  act  was  passed.  He  m. 
Tabitha  Parker:  their  ch.  were: — 1.  Tabitha,  m.  Nathan 
Howard ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Amos  and  William.  2.  Wil- 
liam, m.  Betsy  White  ;  whose  ch.  were : — Cassandana, 
Amanda  Malvina,  d.,  and  Betsy,  d.  3.  Ebenezer,  m.  Sarah 
Hill;  whose  ch.  were: — Roena,  Greorge  W.,  Francis  A., 
Asa  D.,  Sarah,  David,  Mary,  Martha  and  William.  4.  Na- 
than, d.  5.  David,  d.  6.  Edmond,  m.  Nancy  Emory; 
whose  children  were  : — Albert,  Lucinda,  Tabitha,  Oliver 
E.,  Nancy,  Betsy,  d.,  Lydia,  Charles  and  Otis,  d.  7.  David, 
d.     Mr.  Bickford  d.  in  1832,  ae.  89. 

Beard,  Andrew,  from  Beading,  settled  in  the  south  part 
of  the  town,  in  the  early  part  of  the  town's  history.  Was 
a  carpenter  and  a  hard  working  man.  The  remnant  of  an 
aged  tree  is  now  standing  near  his  former  residence  upon 
which  he  killed  a  bear.  He  married  Miss  Burnap  ;  their 
ch.  were: — 1.  Lizzie.  2.  Tabitha,  m.  Abel  Woodward; 
whose  ch.  were  : — Aaron,  Abel,  Tabitha,  Isaac,  Mary,  Nancy 
and  Lock.  3.  Andrew,  m.  Lucy  Dunn  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Andrew  and  Vinal  Cranston.  4.  Artemas,  m.  Lydia  Baker ; 
they  had  one  child  whose  name  was  Lydia.  5.  Aaron,  m. 
Anna  Dunster ;  whose  ch.  were : — Betrix,  Mary,  Lydia, 
Hephzibah,  Anna,  Dorcas,  Lucy,  Maria  and  Aaron.  6. 
Mary.  7.  Abel.  8.  Bethia.  9.  Dorcas,  m.  Mr.  Jewett. 
10.  Hephzibah.      11.  Lucinda.     Mr.  Beard  d.  in  1831. 

Bolton,  Ebenezer,  from  Reading,  was  a  farmer  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town.  He  was  a  minute-man  at  the  battle 
of  Bunker  hill ;  at  one  time  he  felt  the  bullets  brush  his 
hair  as  they  passed  him.  He  received  a  pension  for  his 
services.  He  m.  Elizabeth  Holt ;  their  ch.  were  : — 1.  Betsy, 
m.  Nathan  Taft ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Nathan,  Hollis,  Jerusha, 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


17 


Lovina  and  Asa.  2.  Esther,  d.  3.  Jerusha,  m.  Silas 
Holt ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Reuben  and  Esther.  4  and  5. 
Abram  and  Asa,  (twins,)  d.  6.  Ebenezer,  m.  Lenday  Le- 
land  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Hollis,  Horatio  Nelson,  Panthia,  d., 
Emily,  Ransom,  Rhoda  and  Bellarmin.  Mr.  Bolton  d.  in 
1835,  ae.  87. 

Baker,  John,  from  Marlborough,  was  a  farmer  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town.  He  m.  Elizabeth  Marshall ;  their 
ch.  were: — 1.  Milley,  m.  Nathan  Eaton;  whose  ch.  were: 
— John,  Milley  and  Myra.  His  second  wife  was  Ellen 
Parmenter ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Mary,  d.,  Nathan,  Mary, 
James,  Eleanor,  Benjamin,  Marshall,  d.,  Marshall,  Eleazer, 
Stilman,  William,  Nancy  and  Sarah.  2.  Esther.  3.  Lydia. 
Mr.  Baker  d-  in  1835,  ae.  87. 

Baker,  Jonas,  from  Marlborough  was  a  farmer  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town.  He  m.  Miss  Adams.  His  second 
wife  was  Susan  Simonds ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Joseph  Si- 
monds,  Jonas  and  Betsy. 

Baker,  George,  from  Marlborough  ;  he  was  brother  to  the 
two  last  mentioned  individuals  ;  they  all  located  in  the  same 
vicinity  and  were  of  like  occupation.  He  m.  Dinah  Par- 
menter;  their  ch.  were: — 1.  Artemas,  m.  Sarah  Nichols; 
whose  ch.  were  : — Artemas,  David,  Luther,  Sarah,  Quincy, 
Isaac,  Ibri,  Uri,  Persis,  Amos  and  Chloe.  2.  Persis.  3. 
Greorge  Adam,  m.  Olive  Holden  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — George 
Holden,Willard,  Roxa  and  Sumner.  4.  Nancy.  5.  Dinah, 
m.  Eber  Underwood ;  whose  ch.  were : — Gilman,  Curtis, 
Dexter,  Israel  and  Calvin.     6.  Amos. 

Baker,  Thomas,  from  Westminster,  settled  on  a  farm  now 
owned  by  Daniel  Adams.     He  m.  Mary  Lewis ;  their   ch. 


18 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


were  : — 1.  Ezra,  m.  Lucy  Priest ;  whose  eh.  were  : — Fanny, 
Joel,  Levi,  d.,  Betsy,  Joseph  and  Charles.  2.  Richard,  m. 
Althina  Whitney;  whose  ch.  were: — William,  Lucy,  d., 
Mary,  Walter,  Betsy,  Francis  L.,  Richard  Baxter,  Calvin 
H.,  Lucy  Ann  and  Angeline  Maria.  3.  Mary,  m.  David 
Nichols;  whose  ch.  were: — Roena,  Marietta,  Xoyes  and 
Marcus.  4.  Joseph,  m.  Esther  Holt ;  his  second  wife  was 
Lucy  Davis  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Alexander  and  Lucy.  5. 
Roena.     Mr.  Baker  d.  in  1842,  ae.  81. 

Baldwin,  Josiah,  one  of  the  first  inhabitants,  lived  in 
town  a  few  years  ;  was  a  soldier  in  the  revolutionary  war 
three  years.  He  m.  Susanna,  dau.  of  Israel  Green  ;  they 
had  one  child  whose  name  was  Susanna,  who  m.  James 
Cowee ;  their  ch.  were  : — Persis,  Joel,  Rebecca,  Susanna, 
Betsy,  Mehitable,  Sarah,  Lucinda,  Person,  George  Wash- 
ington, Aaron,  James,  William,  John  and  Ruel  Green. 

Bacon,  Joseph,  from  Sherburne,  was  a  farmer  and  car- 
penter, residing  about  1 J  miles  north-west  of  the  center  of 
the  town,  on  the  place  now  occupied  by  Joseph  Whitney. 
He  m.  Abigail  Cole;  their  ch.  were: — 1.  Charlotte.  2. 
Arna,  m.  Betsy  Sawin  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Betsy,  and  So- 
phronia.  3.  Joseph,  d.  4.  Abigail.  5.  Atarah,  m.  Mr. 
Burbank ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Abigail,  Mar}^  Joseph  and 
Benjamin.  6.  Eliab,  m.  Christiana  Comee ;  whose  ch. 
were  : — Calvin  Cole,  Eliza  Caroline,  Francis,  Nancy,  Cyn- 
thia Maria,  James  and  Matthias  Clark.  7.  Arathusa.  8. 
Joseph,  m.  Lucy  Wood  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Sereno,  Almi- 
ra  and  Francis.  9.  Francis,  m.  Malinda  Kendall;  whose 
ch.  were: — 3L^ry,  Charles,  Maria  and  Asa.  Mr.  Bacon  d. 
in  1808,  ae.  62. 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


19 


Bancroft,  Jonathan,  from  Ward,  (now  Auburn,)  was  a 
farmer  and  shoe-maker,  living  where  now  resides  his  grand- 
son, Dea.  S.  W.  Bancroft.  He  very  narrowly  escaped  being 
drowned  while  attempting  to  cross  the  pond  one  evening  on 
the  ice  ;  coming  to  an  open  place  unawares,  he  fell  in,  but 
managed  to  get  on  to  the  ice  again  and  returned  home.  He 
was  at  the  taking  of  Burgoyne  in  1777.  He  m.  Sarah  Case ; 
their  ch.  were  : — 1.  Jonathan,  m.  Betsy  Parker  ;  whose  ch. 
were: — Sophia,  Mary,  d.,  Laura  French,  d.,  Jonathan  Or- 
mond,  Mary  Amanda,  Laura  Elvira,  Jesse  Parker,'^'  Lucius 
Lorenzo  and  Smyrna  Osgood.  2.  Smyrna,  m.  Sarah  Whit- 
ney ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Harvey  Mansfield,  Smyrna  Wins- 
low,  Mary  Elmira,  Sarah  Whitney,  Amasa  and  Viola.  3. 
Sarah.  4.  Mary,  d.  5.  Betsy.  6.  Lucy.  7.  Roxa,  m. 
John  Phillips  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Warren,  d.,  Eliza,  Caro- 
line, Warren  and  Mary  Bancroft.  Mr.  Bancroft  d.  in  1826, 
ae.  76. 

Brick,  Jonas,  from  Sherburne,  was  a  farmer,  living  in 
the  south  part  of  the  town.  He  m.  Hannah  Richardson ; 
their  ch.  were  : — 1.  Silas,  m.  Anna  Pike  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Eliza,  Milly,  Maria  and  Ann.  2.  Asahel,  m.  Betsy  Snow ; 
whose  ch.  were  : — Asahel  Augustus,  Ephraim  Sumner,  Susan 
Sawyer,  Jonas  Puchardson  and  Jerome  Snow.  His  second 
wife  w^s  Mrs.  Carpenter ;  they  had  one  child  whose  name 
was  Jane  Elizabeth.  3.  Charlotte,  m.  Mr.  Wells  ;  whose 
ch.  were  : — Emma,  Charlotte,  Judith,  Willard,  Wealthy, 
Sarah  and  Elizabeth.     4.   Sarah.     5.  Enoch.     6.  Elijah,  m. 


*  Fitted  for  College  at  Andover  and  Leicester,  Mass.  Entered  Dartmouth 
Colleg^e  in  1837 ;  graduated  iu  1841.  Commenced  the  general  practice  of  med- 
icine in  1845,  in  St.  Johnsbury,  Yt.,  and  continued  there  till  1857,  when  he  re- 
moved to  Concord,  N.  H.,  to  take  charge  of  the  N.  H.  Asylum  for  the  insane 
as  Superintendent  and  Treasurer,  in  which  office  he  is  now  engaged. 


20 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


Sarah  Comee  ;  whose  ch.  Wfere  : — Alfred  Harrison,  David 
Comee,  Mary,  d.,  and  Maria,  (twins,)  Eliza,  d.,  Sarah,  Mary, 
and  Walter.  7.  Jonas,  d.  8.  Judith.  9.  Jonas,  m. 
Esther  Whitney ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Mary  Ann  and  Esther. 
Mr.  Brick  d.  in  1822,  ae.  64. 

Brooks,  Joel,  from  Stow,  was  a  farmer,  living  in  the  west 
part  of  the  town,  where  now  resides  Levi  Curtis.  He  m. 
Tameson,  dau.  of  Ebenezer  Howe;  their  ch.  were: — 1. 
Lydia,  m.  David  Nichols.  2.  Lucy,  m.  George  Scott.  3. 
Betsy,  m.  Isaac  Jackson  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Susan  Elvira 
and  Betsy  Tameson.  His  second  wife  was  Mehitable 
Minott ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Rockwell,  Maria,  Melancy,  d., 
Ellen,  d.  Daniel  Webster  and  Edward.  4.  Joel,  m. 
Cynthia  Taylor ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Betsy  and  Lucy  Ann. 

5.  Silas,  m.  Emily  Conant ;  whose  ch.  were: — Luke,  Syl- 
vanus,  Emily  Elmira,   George,   Joel  Josiah   and  Webster. 

6.  Luke,  d.  7.  Ann,  m.  Isaac  Hall.  Mr.  Brooks  d.  in 
1840,  ae.   84. 

Coolidge,  James,  from  Sherburne,  located  as  a  farmer  in 
the  west  part  of  the  town.  When  Gardner  was  incorporated 
he  was  opposed  to  being  taken  from  Winchendon,  and  pe- 
titioned the  Legislature  to  set  him  back  to  that  town,  but 
was  refused  the  favor  :  after  a  few  years  he  became  recon- 
ciled, and  took  hold  in  earnest  to  assist  others  in  building 
up  the  Town.  He  m.  Sarah  Gould;  their  ch.  were  : — 1. 
Sarah.  2.  Joseph,  m.  Achsah  Hale  ;  whose  ch.  were : — 
Catharine,  Lucy,  Joseph  Hale,  Sarah,  Artemas  and  Charles 
Monroe.  3.  Betsy.  4.  James,  m.  Annis  Sawin;  whose 
ch.  were  : — Warren,  Betsy,  Charles,"^  Samuel  Sawin,  Sarah, 
d.,  Martha,  James   and  Abigail.     Mr.  Coolidge  d.  in  1847, 

ae.  94. 

*  Is  a  Physician  in  Warsaw,  Illinois. 


FAMILY  HISTORY, 


21 


Childs,  Daniel,  was  a  farmer,  living  in  the  north  part  of 

the  town,  where  Mr.  Harty  now  resides.     He  m.  Phebe ; 

their  ch.  were  : — 1.  William.  2.  Daniel.  3.  Jonas,  d.  4. 
Mary.  5.  Timothy.  6.  Nathaniel.  7.  Cynthia.  8.  Jonas, 
m.  Amelia  L.  F.  Osgood;  whose  ch.  were: — Lucius  A., 
Amelia  A.  and  Amanda.  9.  Betsy.  10.  Harriet.  11. 
Lucy.  12.  Charles,  m.  Koena  Baker.  13.  Abijah.  14. 
Francis. 

Comee,  David,  from  Lexington,  located  as  a  farmer  in 
the  east  part  of  the  town  ;  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutiona- 
ry war  ;  he  was  in  a  fierce  battle,  when  a  ball  from  the  enemy 
cut  the  hair  from  his  head,  (it  being  clubbed  up,)  another 
ball  struck  his  gun  as  it  was  poised  before  him  ;  it  tore  the 
barrel  out  of  the  stock  and  left  the  ball  remaining.  He 
m.  Christian  Maltman  ;  their  ch.  were  : — 1.  David,  m.  Es- 
ther Baker ;  whose  ch.  were  : — David,  Betsy,  John  and 
Louisa.  2.  James  Maltman,  m.  Sarah  Putnam  ;  whose  ch. 
were  : — Maria,  Christian,  Sarah,  James  M.,  Mary,  William 
W.,  Abby,  John  Porter,  d.,  Leander  Porter,  Eliza  and 
Daniel  Webster.  His  second  wife  was  Hannah  Maltman ; 
their  ch.  were  : — 1.  Benjamin,  d.  2.  Christian.  3.  Mary, 
m.  William  Fletcher ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Mary  Adaline, 
Eliza,  William  and  Francis.  4.  Benjamin,  d.  5.  John,  d. 
6.  Hannah.  7.  Sarah.  8.  Buhamah,  m.  Abram  Jaquith  ; 
they  had  one  child  whose  name  was  Abby  Mead.  9.  Mar- 
tha, m.  Ebenezer  Fenno  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Lucy  Ann, 
Harriet  Newell,  Sarah,  Henry  Clay  and  Bernerd  Maurett. 
10.  Benjamin,  m.  Lovina  Mead ;  whose  ch.  were: — Char- 
lotte Emeline,  Caroline  Augusta,  Martha  Ann,  James 
Monroe  and  Sarah  Mead.  His  second  wife  was  Mrs.  E.  A. 
Seager ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Rosette,  William,  Esquire  and 
Helen.     11.  Joseph,  m.  Miriam  Stone ;  whose  ch.  were: — 

3 


22 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


Christopher  Columbus,  Samuel,  Martha  S.  and  George. 
12.  George  Washington,  m.  Fanny  Vining.  His  second 
wife  was  Betsy  Howard  :  whose  eh.  were  : — George  Marse- 
na,  Francis,  Fanny  and  Frank.  Mr.  Comee  d.  in  1828, 
ae.  82. 

Conant,  Josiah,  from  Westminster,  was  a  farmer,  residing 
in  the  east  part  of  the  town  ;  the  place  is  now  owned  by 
Dennis  Gates.  He  m.  Annis  Derby;  their  ch.  were: — 1. 
Aaron,  m.  Lucy  Bancroft;  whose  ch.  were: — Catharine, 
Roswell  B.,  d.,  Boswell,  d.,  Smyrna  Bancroft,  Emily,  d., 
George  Farewell,  Aaron  Winslow,  Mary  Bancroft  and  Sarah 
Case.  2.  Lucy,  m.  Isaac  Miller;  whose  ch.  were: — Gard- 
ner, Mary,  William,  Lucy,  Lyman,  James,  John  and  Nancy. 
3.  Nancy,  m.  Alpheus  Simonds ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Ada- 
line,  Abigail,  Nancy,  Maria,  Myranda,  Caroline,  Hannah, 
Augusta,  Sylvenus  and  Rebecca.  4.  Betsy.  5.  Farewell, 
m.  Lucy  Wright ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Rebecca,  Mary  Ann, 
Calvin,  John  Wesley,  Charles  Wright  and  Lucy  Maria.  6. 
Abigail,  m.  Jonathan  Brown ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Abigail, 
Maria  and  Myranda,  (twins,)  Emily,  Jonathan  Leroy,  Elisha, 
Martha,  Charles,  Lucy,  Mary  and  Edward  Reynolds.  7. 
Mary,  m.  Asahel  Corey;  whose  ch.  were: — Jonas  and 
Charles.  8.  Josiah,  m.  Hannah  Graves  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Harriet,  Augusta,  William,  d.,  Walter,  Joseph  Lewis,  d., 
Francis,  Ellen  Maria,  d.,  George  Alvah  and  Eliza  Jane.  9. 
Emily.  10.  Susan,  m.  Asa  Temple;  whose  ch.  were: — 
Elizabeth  Holland  and  Christopher  Columbus.  11.  Lyman, 
m.  Emma  Wells;  whose  ch.  were: — Caroline  Elizabeth, 
Mary,  Edward  and  Theodore.  12.  Maria,  m.  Joseph  P. 
Howe ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Maria,  Abby,  Edward  Payson 
and  Emergene.     13.  Lanson,   d.      14.  Sylvester  Thomas, 


FAMILY  HISTORY 


23 


m.  Sarah  Bickford  ;  they  had  one  child  whose  name  was 
Charles.     Mr.  Conant  d.  in  1835,  ae.  77. 

Clark,  Joseph,  from  Sherburne,  was  a  farmer  in  the  west 
part  of  the  town.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary 
war  seven  years,  and  received  a  pension  ten  years  or  longer. 
He  m.  Mary  Maltman  ;  they  had  one  child  whose  name  was 
Joseph,  who  m.  Sarah  Sawyer;  their  ch.  were  Leonora, 
Sylvester,  Mary  and  Joseph  Monroe.  Mr.  Clark  d.  in  1837, 
ae.  80. 

Clark,  Benjamin,  (brother  to  the  one  last  mentioned,) 
from  Sherburne,  was  a  farmer,  residing  in  the  west  part  of 
the  town  ;  the  place  is  now  occupied  by  his  son,  Dea.  Samuel 
H.  Clark.  He  m.  Martha  Minott ;  their  ch.  were: — 1. 
Esther  M.  2.  Benjamin,  m.  Rebecca  Richardson ;  whose 
ch.  were  : — Elizabeth  and  Mary  Ann.  3.  Mary.  4.  Betsy, 
m.  Lowell  Leland ;  whoso  ch.  were: — Leaden,  Esther  M., 
Elizabeth,  d.,  Martha  Elizabeth,  Lucy,  Henry  and  Joseph 
W.  5.  Sarah.  6.  Joanna  M.  7.  Samuel  Harrington,  m. 
Mary  Bennett ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Greorge  and  William  Ray- 
mond.    Mr.  Clark  d.  in  1827,  ae.  65. 

Dunster,  Hubbard,  from  Westminster,  was  a  cooper,  re- 
siding on  the  place  now  occupied  by  Elijah  Foster.  He  m. 
Rebecca,  dau.  of  Benjamin  Kendall;  their  ch.  were: — 1. 
Martin,  m.  Sarah  Nichols.  2.  Prudence,  m.  Isaac  Fitts. 
3.  Rebecca,  m.  Oilman  Robbins  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — George, 
Charles,  Sarah,  Caroline  and  Joseph.  4.  Louisa.  5.  Aseph, 
m.  Sarah  Stoddard ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Lydia  Ann,  Caro- 
line,-Rebecca  and  Lucy.  6.  Jane,  m.  Stephen  Tyler;  whose 
ch.  were  : — Mary  Jane  and  Adaline.  7.  Lydia,  m.  Joel 
Nichols;  whose  ch.  were: — Eliza   Ann,  Frank  and  Emma. 


24 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


Dapheny  m.  Mr.  Parsons  ;  they  had  one  child  whose  name 
was  Warren.     Mr.  Dunster  d.  in  1818,  ae.  45. 

Eaton.  John,  from  Needham,  located  as  a  farmer  in  the 
north  part  of  the  town,  where  now  resides  his  son,  John 
Eaton.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  taking  of  Burgoyne's  army. 
He  m.  Mary  Larkin  ;  their  ch.  were: — 1.  Lucy,  m.  Mr. 
Boyden;  they  had  one  child  whose   name  was  Mary  Ann. 

2.  Josiah,  m.  Mary  AVeston  ;  whose  ch.  were: — Merrick, 
Mary  Ann,  Josiah,  Otis,  Danford,  George,  Nancy  and 
Charles.  3.  Mary,  m.  Isaac  Williams;  whose  ch.  were: — 
Mary,  Charles  and  Calvin.  4.  John,  m.  Betsy  Esty  ;  whose 
ch.  were  : — George,  Warren,  Franklin,  Eliza,  John,  Amasa, 
Mary,  Maria  and  Oliver.  5.  Xancy.  6.  Peter,  m.  Catha- 
rine Coolidge  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Mary  Ann  and  Charles. 
His  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Knowlton.  Mr.  Eaton  d.  in  1827, 
ae.  81. 

Eaton,  Ebenezer,  from  Needham,  was  a  farmer  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town.  He  m.  Joanna  Hutchinson  ;  their 
ch.  were  : — Ebenezer,  Jonas  and  Sarah.  His  second  wife 
was  Mrs.  Richardson;  whose  ch  were  : — Betsy,  George  and 
Clarissa. 

Eaton,  Jonathan,  (brother  to  the  two  last  mentioned,) 
was  a  farmer,  living  in  the  west  part  of  the  town.  He  m. 
Bulah  Ward;   their  ch.  were: — 1.  Bulah.     2.  Jonathan,  d. 

3.  Joseph,  d.  4.  Benjamin,  d.  5.  Jonathan,  m.  Miss  Lane. 
6.  Rebecca.     Mr.  Eaton  d.  in  1819. 

Edgell,  Joseph,  from  Westminster,  was  a  farmer,  living 
near  the  west  village,  where  Charles  Stacy  now  resides.     He 

m.  Dorcas ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Charles,  Nancy,  Joseph, 

d.,  Rebecca,  Joseph  and  Kendall.  He  moved  back  to  West- 
minster many  years  ago. 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


25 


Edgell,  Benjamin,  from  Westminster,  was  a  farmer  and 
cooper,  in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  living  where  Joseph 
Metcalf  now  resides.  He  m.  Priscilla  Graves ;  their  ch. 
were: — 1.  Susan.  2.  Benjamin,  m.  Mary  Ann  Dollonson. 
3.  Catharine.  4.  Priscilla,  m.  Newell  Brown ;  whose  ch. 
were  : — Charles,  Sarah  and  Henry.  5.  Mary,  m.  Luther 
Alden  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Luther  and  Silas.  6.  Farewell, 
m.  Mary  Ann  Sawin  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Emily,  d.,  Elvira 
C.  and  Emily  Janette,  d.  His  second  wife  was  Mary  Ann 
Minott ;  they  had  one  child  whose  name  was  George.  7. 
Louisa.  8.  Lucy,  m.  Aseph  Wood;  whose  ch.  were  : — Pru- 
cius  M.,  d.,  Prucius  M.,  Amanda,  Theophilus,  d.,  Lucy  Au- 
gusta, Theophilus  and  Adelia.  His  second  wife  was  Abby 
H.  Pierce  ;  they  had  one  child  whose  name  was  Eliza  H,  9. 
Abigail,  m.  Edward  L.  Turner;  whose  ch.  were: — Francis 
E.,  d.,  Martha  P.,  Edward  S.,  Frank  H.  and  Harriet  A. 
10.  Martha,  m.  Jonas  Pierce;  whose  ch,  were: — Calvin 
and  Catharine,  d.  His  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Nichols  ;  they 
had  one  child  whose  name  was  Erastus  N.  Mr.  Edgell  d. 
in  1817,  ae.  46. 

Fisher,  Gideon,  was  one  of  the  first  inhabitants  of  the 
town,  living  in  the  north  part :  was  a  great  help  to  the 
place  in  clearing  it  of  wild  animals.  He  m.  Mrs.  Rebecca 
Hutchins  ;  they  had  one  child  whose  name  was  William. 
Mr.  F.  sold  in  a  few  years  and  left  the  place. 

Foster,  David,  from  Reading,  was  a  farmer  and  carpenter. 
He  was  engaged  in  the  Revolutionary  war  nine  months,  and 
was  the  last  man  who  fled  from  the  enemy  at  the  battle 
of  Bunker  hill.  He  m.  Betsy  Minott;  their  ch  were: — 1. 
Betsy,  d.  2.  Susanna.  3.  David,  d.  4.  David.  5.  Betsy. 
Mr.  Foster  d.  in  1815,  ae.  70. 

3* 


26 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


Foster,  Samuel,  from  Reading,  lived  in  the  west  part  of 
the  town.  Hem.  Elizabeth  Boyden ;  their  ch.  were: — 1. 
Lizzie.  2.  Samuel,  m  Mary  Payson ;  they  had  one  child 
whose  name  was  Joseph  Payson.  His  second  wife  was  Mary 
Persons.  3.  Dolly,  m.  Mr.  French.  4.  Peter.  5.  Jesse. 
6.  Assenath.   7.  Jonah.     8.   Rufus. 

Fairbanks,  Levi,  from  Harvard,  was  a  farmer  in  the  east 
part  of  the  town,  where  his  son,  Levi  Fairbanks,  now  resides. 
He  m.  Eunice  Randall;  their  ch.  were: — 1.  Levi,  m.  Miss 
Anderson ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Phebe,  Walter,  Mary  and 
Stephen.  His  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Pierce.  2.  Jabez,  m. 
Abigail  Seaver ;  whose  ch.  were: — iVbigail  and  Louisa. 
His  second  wife  was  Nancy  Temple  :  they  had  one  child 
whose  name  was  Sardis.  3.  Ephraim,  m.  Susan  "Weston; 
whose  ch.  were  : — Nelson,  Elisha  and  Stephen.  4.  Joseph, 
m.  Ruth  Jaquith  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Harriet  Newell,  Ruth 
Jaquith,  Joseph  and  Alonzo.  5.  Eunice,  m.  Stephen  Wes- 
ton ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Adaline,  Stephen,  Maria  and  Mary. 
6.  Lydia,  m.  Arba  Brooks;  whose  ch.  were: — Eunice  and 
William.  7.  Stephen,  d.  8.  Luke.  Mr.  Fairbanks  d.  in 
the  year  1845,  ae.  90.     His  wife  d.  in  the  year  1851,  ae.  92. 

Fairbanks,  Noah,  from  Harvard,  was  a  farmer  in  the  west 
village,  living  where  Lewis  H.  Graham  now  resides.  He  m. 
Hannah  Whitcomb  ;  their  ch.  were  : — 1.  Emory,  m.  Eunice 
Heywood ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Emory  H.,  Francis  J.,  James 
H.,  Elizabeth  E.,  Joseph  W.,  Susan  A.,  Lucy  Ann  and 
Laura.  2.  Noah.  3.  Sewell,  m.  Susan  Heywood ;  whose 
ch.  were  : — James  H.  and  Sewell  W.  4.  Aseph,  m.  Han- 
nah Whitcomb ;  whose  ch.  were : — Aseph  Waldo,  Joel 
Whitcomb  and  Martha  Malvina.  5.  Sophronia,  m.  Lewis 
H.  Graham ;  whose  ch.  were : — Lucy  Jane,  Henry  Lewis, 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


27 


Mary  Louisa  and  Lucms  Fairbanks.  6.  Hannah.  7.  Lncy, 
m.  Joseph  Barker  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Mary  Leraira,  Eliza 
Adaline  and  Martha  Maria.  8.  Joel,  m.  Esther  Leland.  Mr. 
Fairbanks  d.  in  1852,  ae.  80. 

Fenno,  William,  from  Boston,  was  a  farmer,  living  in  the 
east  part  of  the  town ;  the  place  is  now  owned  by  Hosea 
Hadley.  He  m.  Rachel  Ray ;  they  had  one  child  whose 
name  was  Mary  ;  who  m.  Abel  Wood;  their  ch.  were  : — Ly- 
man T.,  Hiram,  Sophia,  Dolly,  Hannah,  Cynthia,  Joel  and 
William.  His  second  wife  was  Lydia  Ray ;  whose  ch. 
were: — 1.  William,  m.  Mary  Corey;  whose  ch.  were: — 
Samuel  Farrar,  Lucy  Corey,  Elmira,  William  Wood,  Steph- 
en, Mary,  Lucinda  and  Frances  Ann.  2.  Asa,  m.  Grata 
Wheeler  ;  whose  ch.  were : — David  Dickerson,  William 
Stone,  Mary  Emily,  Jonas  Wheeler,  Ray,  Elmira,  Harriet 
and  Joel.  3.  Joel,  m.  Sarah  Corey;  whose  ch.  were: — 
Sarah  Clarinda,  Hezekiah  Corey,  Willard  Jefts,  Charles  Al- 
exander and  Joel  Carmillus.  4.  Elmira,  m.  Joseph  Carter; 
whose  ch.  were  : — Mary  Elizabeth,  Adalaide  and  Eveline. 
5.  Lucinda,  m.  Washington  Nichols  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Eliza  Jane,  George  Burknap  and  Charles  Monroe.  6.  Ly- 
man, m.  Mary  Miller;  whose  ch.  were: — Jane  Maria,  Ella 
Isadore,  George  Henry  and  Hattie  Augusta.  Mr.  Fenno 
d.  in  1822. 

Green,  Israel,  the  fourth  inhabitant  of  the  town,  lived  one 
and  one-half  miles  north-west  from  its  center.  He  had  four 
sons,  who  were  mighty  huntsmen,  and  were  noted  for  killing 
bears.  The  sons  all  enlisted  in  the  Revolutionary  war ; 
only  one  of  them  ever  returned.  He  had  one  dau.  who  m. 
Josiah  Baldwin.  Mr.  Green  removed  to  Westminster  be- 
fore his  death. 


28 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


Green,  Nathan,  from  Leicester,  was  a  farmer,  living  in  the 
north-easterly  part  of  the  town  ;  he  abstained  from  all  spir- 
ituous liquors,  and  in  that  respect  was  almost  an  exception  in 
those  days.  About  the  year  1820  his  house  was  struck  with 
lightning  ;  Mr.  Green  and  his  wife  felt  the  shock.  It  affected 
him  like  a  stick  of  wood  comino;  with  force  asiainst  his  lower 
limbs.  It  stunned  Mrs.  Green.  They  heard  no  report, 
though  it  sounded  to  others  like  the  firing  of  a  gun  ;  there 
was  no  rain ;  the  hemisphere  was  diversified  with  light  and 
brassy  clouds  ;  there  appeared  a  black  cloud  in  the  center, 
"like  a  man's  hand,"  from  which  it  was  supposed  that  the 
electrical  fluid  proceeded.  The  carpenter  who  repaired  the 
house  found  it  considerably  shattered  and  thought  there  was 
not  a  nail  but  what  was  either  drawn  out,  or  started. 
He  m.  a  French  lady,  Margaret,  dau.  of  John  D.  Jersey, 
from  the  Island  of  Journsey.  They  had  no  children.  Nathan 
Green,  (a  nephew  of  his,)  lived  with  them  from  a  child,  to 
whom  he  gave  his  property  ;  he  m  Fanny  Bicknell ;  they 
had  one  child  whose  name  was  Charles.  Mr.  Green  d.  in 
1822,  ae.  71. 

Glazier,  John,  came  from  Shrewsbury  in  1773  ;  he  owned 
a  good  farm  in  the  center  of  the  town,  and  kept  a  public 
house ;  was  an  honest,  upright  man,  anxious  to  promote  the 
welfare  and  prosperity  of  the  town  ;  he  gave  them  the  use 
of  his  house  to  hold  their  meetings  in,  until  the  meeting- 
house was  built ;  it  is  the  place  that  Asa  Richardson  now 
owns,  and  is  supposed  to  be  the  oldest  house  in  town.  He 
m.  Sarah,  dau.  of  Isaac  Temple,  of  Shrewsbury ;  their  ch. 
were: — 1.  Smyrna,  m.  Bridget  Foster;  whose  ch.  were: — 
Bridget  and  Abram  Foster.  When  Smyrna  was  about  four 
years  old  he  fell  into  a  well  and  climbed  out  alone.  When 
he  was  a  young  man  he  was  very  fond  of  a  gun  ;  he  shot  at 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


29 


a  haAvk  when  flying  high  in  the  air,  and  brought  it  to  the 
ground.  At  another  time  he  shot  at  a  flock  of  wild  geese 
and  killed  two  of  them  with  a  single  ball  as  they  were  swim- 
ming in  the  pond.  He  obtained  a  good  common  education 
from  his  own  industry,  as  schools  were  scarce  in  those  days. 
He  is  now  living,  and  the  oldest  person  in  town.  His  age  is 
92.  2.  Lewis,  m.  Betsy  Coolidge  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — John 
Coolidge  and  Sarah  Temple.  His  second  wife  was  Lucy 
Keyes  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Betsy  Coolidge,  Thomas  Edwin, 
Mary  Ann,  d.,  Smyrna  Sylvester  and  Lewis  Lysander, 
(twins,)  d.,  Lucy  Ann  and  Mary  Keyes.  3.  Ruth,  m.  Jona- 
than Prescott ;  whose  ch.  were : — Jonathan,  Bushrod 
Washington,  Elizabeth,  William,  Sarah,  George  and  Buth 
Ann.  Mr.  Prescott  was  the  first  merchant  in  G-ardner  ;  he 
built  the  house  and  lived  where  Francis  Richardson,  Esq. 
now  resides :  after  living  in  town  a  few  years  he  removed  to 
Boston,  where  he  was  appointed  constable,  which  office  he 
held  during  life.  He  d.  in  1852,  ae.  92.  4.  Elizabeth.  5. 
Sarah,  d.  in  1786,  at  the  age  of  1  year,  and  was  the  first 
one  interred  in  the  burying  ground.  Mr.  Grlazier  d.  in  1826, 
ae.  87. 

Goodale,  Peter,  from  West  Boylston,  was  a  farmer,  re- 
siding on  the  place  now  occupied  by  Charles  Green.  He 
was  a  good  townsman  while  he  stayed,  which  was  but  a  short 
time,  when  he  sold  and  went  back  to  West  Boylston.  He 
m.  Abigail,  dau.  of  Benjamin  Hinds  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Elizabeth,  Benjamin,  Jason,  Peter,  Aseph  and  Junia. 

Greenwood,  Jonathan,  from  Sherburne,  was  a  farmer,  and 
kept  a  public  house  in  the  south  part  of  the  town,  where 
his  son,  Walter  Greenwood,  now  resides.  He  m.  Sybil  Hol- 
brook  ;  their  ch.  were  : — 1.  Alvin,  m.  Mary  Childs  ;  whose 


I^Q  FAMILY  HISTORY. 

cli.  were  : — Sophia,  d.,  Sophia,  Maria,  Calvin  S,,  Alvin  Mon- 
roe, James  Holbrook,  Charles,  William  and  Mary.  2.  Sybil, 
d.  3.  Jonathan,  m.  Phebe  Temple ;  whose  eh.  were  : — 
Walter,  Louisa,  Thomas,  Betsy,  Mason  and  Joel.  4. 
Walter,  m.  Rebecca  Wright;  whose  ch.  were: — Aaron, 
Emily,  Martha,  Rebecca,  Edward  W.,  Greorge,  Judson  and 
Thomas.  5.  Sybil,  m.  William  Whitney  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Sybil  and  Betsy.  6.  Leonora,  m.  Greorge  W.  Cowee ; 
whose  ch.  were: — Sybil  C,  George  Leander,  Alvin  Gr., 
Aaron,  Mary  M.  and  Adaline.  His  second  wife  was  Sarah 
Wilcox  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Frank,  d.,  and  Fred  (twins,) 
Frank,  Ellen  E.  and  Hattie  J.  Mr.  Greenwood  d.  in  1821, 
ae.  66. 

Greenwood,  Aaron,  from  Sherburne,  was  a  farmer,  in  the 
south-west  part  of  the  town,  where  his  grandson,  Aaron  L. 
Greenwood,  now  resides.  He  was  three  years  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  and  received  a  pension  a  number  of  years. 
He  m.  Anna  Learned;  their  ch.  were: — 1.  Charles,  m. 
Betsy  Temple;  whose  ch.  were: — Aaron  L.,  Francis  T., 
Betsy,  Edward  and  Asa  Temple.  2.  Anna.  Mr.  Green- 
wood d.  in  1824,  ae.  68. 

Gates,  Simon,  moved  from  Westminster  to  Gardner  with- 
out changing  his  residence  ;  the  town  line  crossing  his  fiirm, 
he  had  a  right  to  belong  to  the  town  he  chose,  and  being  a 
just  man,  decided  to  come  to  Gardner,  because  he  thought 
it  his  duty  to  go  where  he  could  do  the  most  good.  He  had 
a  good  farm  on  what  is  called  Beech  hill,  where  his  grand- 
son, Horace  Gates,  now  lives,  and  was  one  of  the  principal 
men  in  building  up  the  town.  He  m.  Susanna  Reed  ;  their 
ch.  were: — 1.  Nathan,  m.  Abigail  Knowlton  ;  whose  ch. 
were: — Nathan,  Jeremiah,  d.,  Abel,  Aseph,  Luke,  d.,  Abi- 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


31 


gail,  Luther,  Amos,  Susannah,  an  infant  dau.,  d.,  Lucinda, 
Clarissa,  Jeremiah  Knowlton,  James  Eliot  and  Benjamin 
Addison.  2.  Simon,  m.  Sarah  Taylor  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Louisa,  Simon  Hazeltine,  Horace,  Dennis,  Mary  and  Dolly. 
3.  Daniel,  m.  Phebe  Mosman  ;  whose  ch.  were : — Daniel 
Merrick,  Sophronia,  Leonard  Mosman,  Lucy,  Phebe,  Char- 
lotte and  Solomon  Keyes.     4.  Reuben,  m. ;  their 

ch.  were  : — Samantha  Keyes,  Anna  Mosman,  Ezekiel,  Dar- 
win and  Bial.  5.  Ezekiel.  6.  Elizabeth,  d.  7.  Elizabeth. 
Mr.  Gates  d.  in  1803,  ae.  63. 

Holland,  Joseph,  from  Boylston,  was  one  of  the  first  set- 
tlers in  Gardner,  his  place  is  the  one  now  owned  by  Capt. 
Joel  Cowee.  After  living  in  town  a  few  years  he  sold  to 
Mr.  Glazier  and  went  north.  At  this  time  Mr.  Heywood 
and  Mr.  Glazier  owned  about  300  acres  of  land  in  the  center 
of  the  town.  Mr.  Holland  m.  Elizabeth  Gleason  ;  whose  ch. 
were  : — Joseph,  James,  Buth  and  Ephraim. 

Heywood,  Seth,  (son  of  Phineas  Heywood,  and  grandson 
of  Dea.  John  Heywood,  of  Concord.)  who  came  from  Sterling 
to  Gardner,  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  town  ;  had  a  good 
farm  in  the  center  of  the  town  ;  he  was  also  a  blacksmith. 
He  was  a  man  of  superior  mind,  and  had  a  remarkable  memo- 
ry ;  being  a  great  reader,  he  was  able  to  relate  a  history  of 
almost  any  book  then  known.  He  was  a  valuable  member  of 
society,  and  was  greatly  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him.  He 
was  Lieutenant  in  the  army  at  Cambridge  nine  months. 
He  m.  Martha,  dau.  of  Isaac  Temple  of  Shrewsbury ;  their 
ch.  were  : — 1.  Betsy.  2.  John,  m.  Mary  Hutchins  ;  whose 
ch.  were: — Mary,  John  and  Betsy  Lavette.  3.  Sarah,  m. 
Samuel  Edgell ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Betsy,  Sarah,  William, 
Mary,  Lucinda  and  Samuel.     4.   Ann,  m.   William  Whit- 


32 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


ney ;  whose  ch.  were: — "William,  Setli,  Joseph,  Althina, 
Anna,  Hollis,  Amasa  and  Lucy,  (twins.)  Mr.  Whitney  d. 
in  1846,  ae.  81  ;  his  wife  died  so  soon  after,  that  their  fu- 
nerals were  attended  together.  Her  age  was  76.  5.  Mary, 
m.  Joseph  Boyden,  M.  D.;  whose  ch.  were  : — Mary,  Wyat 
Clark,  Lucy,  Ebenezer,  Fredrick  and  Joseph.  After  resid- 
ing in  Gardner  a  few  years,  Dr.  Boyden  left  for  Tamworth, 
N.  H.,  where  he  became  an  eminent  physician;  but  was 
suddenly  cut  oif  in  the  midst  of  life,  by  a  fall  from  his  horse. 
6.  Benjamin,  m.  Mary  Whitney;  whose  ch.  were: — Levi, 
Benjamin  Franklin,  Walter,  William,  Seth  and  Charles.  7. 
Martha,  m.  Samuel  Sawin  :  whose  ch.  were  : — Samuel  Wes- 
ton, Eliza  Adaline,  John  Harrison  and  Levi  Heywood.  8. 
Seth.  9.  Lucy,  m.  Gardner  Pollard  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Lucy,  Martha,  Levi,  Seth,  Elmira,  Nancy  and  Gardner.  10. 
Levi,  m.  Xancy  Healy  ;  whose  ch,  were  : — John  Healy^^  and 
Benjamin  Seth.  He  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in 
18()8.  Commenced  the  study  of  law,  with  Hon.  Nathaniel 
Paine,  of  Worcester,  and  finished  with  Hon.  Elijah  Mills, 
of  Northampton :  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1811,  and  com- 
menced practice  in  Worcester  the  same  year.  In  Oct.,  1818, 
he  removed  to  Pickneyville,  Louisiana,  where  he  engaged 
in  teaching  school.  Having  kept  an  office  in  New  York  for 
a  short  period,  he  became  Principal  of  the  Academy  in 
Hackensack,  New  Jersey.  He  again  resumed  practice  in 
the  city  of  New  York,  where  he  died  in  1832,  ae.  49.  Mr. 
Heywood  d.  in  1817,  ae.  89. 

Hill,  Marvrick,  from  Medwa}^  was  a  farmer,  residing  in  the 
north  part  of  the  town.     His  place  was  adjoining  the  Green 

*  Graduated  at  Harvard  College,  -was  ordained  at  Worcester,  as  a  Unitarian 
3Iinister  in  IS^j?,  and  settled  soon  after  in  Louisville,  Kentucky,  where  he 
still  resides. 


FAMILY    HISTORY. 


33 


place.  He  m.  Abigail  Moulton;  their  cli.  were  : — 1.  Moses, 
m.  Lucy  Adams  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Elizabeth  Clark,  James 
Marvrick,  Thomas  Adams,  Lucy,  Cyrus,  Clement,  Hannah 
Adams,  d.,  Moses,  Isaac  Watts,  Hannah  Adams,  Millie, 
Sophia  and  Harriet  Binam,  (twins.)  2.  Jesse,  m.  Keziah 
Brick  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Keziah,  Abigail,  Grilbert,  Sarah, 
Julia,  Heman,  Jesse  and  Mercy.  3.  Bezaleel,  m.  Hannah 
Baker ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Nancy,  Caleb,  Hannah,  Lucy, 
Orinda,  Bezaleel,  Amza,  Moses,  Abigail  Marvrick,  Silas 
Baker  and  Lydia.  4.  Nathaniel,  m.  x\nnis  Whitcomb  ;  whose 
ch.  were  : — Tamar,  d.,  Lucinda,  Mary,  Elizabeth,  d.,  Annis, 
Ebenezer,  d.,  Nathaniel,  d.,  Mercy,  d.,  Tamar  and  Linda. 
5.  Mary.  6.  Mercy.  7.  Sylvenus,  m.  Charlotte  Bacon; 
they  had  one  child  whose  name  was  Sylvenus.  Mrs.  Hill  d. 
in  the  year  1807,  ae.  93.  Many  years  ago,  while  they  were 
having  their  garden  plowed,  Mr.  Hill  told  his  boys  to  be 
careful  of  a  little  apple-tree  (of  about  two  years  growth,) 
as  their  mother  was  expecting  to  live  to  eat  the  fruit  of  it ; 
she  did  live  to  see  it  bear  thirty  bushels  of  apples  in  a  year. 
The  day  she  was  ninety  years  old,  she  committed  to  memory 
a  hymn  of  Dr.  Watts',  with  as  much  ease  and  accuracy  as  in 
early  life.  Spinning  linen  was  her  employment  the  last 
years  of  her  life ;  she  spun  the  warp  for  a  web  of  thirty 
yards  after  she  was  ninety-three  years  old. 

Hadley,  Joseph,  was  one  of  the  early  settlers,  residing 
as  a  farmer  in  the  north  part  of  the  town.  His  ch.  were : — 
Mehitable,  Stephen  and  Nathan.  There  are  none  of  his 
posterity  now  resident  in  town,  and  little  can  be  learned  with 
regard  to  them. 

Hinds,  Daniel,  from  West  Boylston,  was  a  farmer,  living 
in  the  south  part  of  the  town.     He  m.   Sarah  Holbrook ; 

4 


34 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


whose   ch.   were:  —  Sarah,    James,    Benjamin,  Daniel  and 
Milton.     He  moved  back  to  West  Boylston. 

Howe,  Ebenezer,  from  Templeton,  located  as  a  farmer 
about  a  mile  north  of  the  center  of  Gardner.  The  place  is 
now  owned  by  Peter  Eaton.  He  m.  Elizabeth  Deland ; 
their  ch.  were: — 1.  Tameson.  2.  Perley,  m.  Jane  T. 
Belcher ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Betsy  Deland,  Sarah,  Eli, 
Frances  M.,  Ebenezer,  Perley,  Lydia,  Jane  K.  and  Emily 
Augusta.  3.  Ezekiel,  m.  Susanna  Payson ;  whose  ch. 
were  : — Ezekiel,  Franklin,  Joseph  Payson,  Samuel  Stillman, 
Stowell,  Mary  Payson,  Susan,  George,  David  Monroe  and 
Betsy.  4.  Sarah,  m.  Silas  Wood  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Amos 
and  Phebe.  5.  Betsy,  m.  John  Miller ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Ebenezer,  Eliza,  Benjamin,  Maria,  Amos  and  Betsy.  6. 
Benjamin,  m.  Kesiah  Hill;  whose  ch.  were: — Benjamin, 
Amos,  Sarah,  Ebenezer  Deland,  Simeon,  Mary  Ann,  Lucy 
and  Harrison.  7.  Amos,  whose  birth  was  the  first  in  town 
after  its  incorporation;  it  occurred  June  17th,  1785;  he  d. 
in  1805,  ae.  20.  His  second  wife  was  Mercy  Hill.  Mr. 
Howe  d.  in  1808,  ae.  62. 

Haynes,  Beuben,  from  Sudbury,  was  a  farmer,  in  the  north 
part  of  the  town ;  his  land  joined  Winchendon.  He  was 
chosen  Lieutenant  of  the  first  militia  company  formed  in 
Gardner  ;  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war  three 
years,  and  sergeant  part  of  the  time  ;  he  received  $120  an- 
nually for  some  years  as  a  pensioner.  He  m.  Susanna  Wil- 
lis ;  their  ch.  were  : — 1.  Susanna.  2.  Ezra  Willis,  m.  Mar- 
tha Stone ;  whose  ch.  were : — Reuben,  Mary  and  Martha 
Willis.  Her  second  husband  was  Elisha  Coolidge  ;  whose 
ch.  were : — Wesley  and  Charles.  3.  Sarah,  m.  Jonathan 
Temple  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Jerusha,  Jonathan,  and  Willis. 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


35 


4.  Israel,  d.  5.  Eunice.  6.  Reuben,  d.  7.  Ruth.  8.  Re- 
becca. 9.  Jerusha.  10.  Asenath.  Capt.  Haynes  d.  in 
1841,  ae.  86.  • 

Jackson,  Elisba,  from  Westminster,  was  the  first  inhabitant 
in  Gardner.  He  was  a  man  of  stability  and  force  of  cliar- 
acter  accompanied  with  sagacity ;  was  a  farmer,  and  kept 
a  public  house  in  the  south  part  of  the  town  where  D.  W. 
McFarland  now  resides.  He  m.  Bulah  Taylor  ;  their  ch. 
were  : — 1.  Jemima,  m.  Ebenezer  Keyes  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — ■ 
Ebenezer,  Elisha,  Solomon,  Lorenzo  and  Jemima.  2.  Lucy, 
m.  Aaron  Wood  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Lucy,  Sarah  and  Aaron. 
His  second  wife  was  Bethia  Beard  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Moses,  Cyrena,  Asaph,  Amanda,  Emeline,  Theophilus  P.,* 
and  Abel  S.  3.  Bulah,  m.  Jonathan  Brown  ;  whose  ch. 
were  : — Jonathan,  John,  Charles,  d.,  Elisha,  Charles,  Sarah, 
d.,  Sarah,  Benjamin  Babbitt,  Lucy  and  Nancy.  4.  Ruth,  m. 
Nahum  Wood;  whose  ch.  were: — Louisa,  Ruth,  Catharine, 
Albert  and  Nahum  Howard.  5.  Elisha,  m.  Relief  Beard ; 
whose  ch.  were: — Pliebe,  Lucy,  Elisha  Stowell,  Sophronia 
and  Samantha,  (twins,)  Joseph  Loring,  Charles  Weston, 
Elvira   and  Leonard  Franklin.      6.    Josiah,   m.   Arathusa 

*  He  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  father  when  a  child,  and,  with  his 
brothers,  had  to  struggle  with  all  the  difficulties  incident  to  a  state  of  or])han- 
ag-e.  In  early  life  he  had  laid  the  foundation  of  a  character  for  integrity  and 
business  talents  seldom  exceeded  ;  and  obtained  an  education  superior  to  most 
of  the  young  men  at  that  time.  It  may  be  said  in  all  his  various  transactions, 
he  was  high-minded  and  honorable,  commanding  the  respect  of  a  numerous 
acquaintance;  his  judgment  was  sound,  active,  and  enterprising;  being  pos- 
sessed of  a  candid  and  liberal  mind,  he  saw  things  in  their  true  and  just  rela- 
tions, receiving  the  universal  confidence  of  the  community  in  which  he  lived. 
As  a  merchant  he  was  courteous  and  affable,  public-spirited  and  honorable. 
He  was  not  long  destined  to  follow  in  the  path  tliat  opened  to  him  so  briglilly  ; 
after  disease  had  marked  Iiim  for  a  prey,  he  visited  a  foreign  clime,  (Cuba)  in 
hopes  of  recovery  but  of  no  avail :  in  Iiis  sickness  he  enjoyed  the  hopes  and 
consolations  of  the  gospel.    He  died  soon  after  his  return  home,  ae.  29. 


36 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


Bacon  ;  whose  cli.  were  : — Christiana  Bacon,  Arathusa  Caro- 
line, Josiah  Alexander,  Abigail  Sanger  and  Eliza  Adaline. 
7.  Ebenezer,  m.  Susanna  Foster.  8.  Abigail,  m.  Timothy 
Taft;  whose  ch.  were: — Lucy  and  Lucinda,  (twins,)  Proc- 
tor, Abigail  and  Koena.  9.  Abel,  m.  Betsy  Foster;  whose 
eh.  were  : — David  Foster,  Elizabeth,  Susan,  Harriet  and 
Abel.     Mr.  Jackson  d.  in  1814,  ae.  77. 

Kendall,  Benjamin,  from  Sherburne,  was  a  farmer,  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town,  dwelling  where  Walter  Greenwood 
now  resides.  He  m.  Keziah  Twichell ;  their  ch.  were  : — 1. 
Aseph,  m.  Eunice  Case  ;  whose  ch  were  : — William,  Mary, 
Benjamin,  James,  Aseph,  Timothy,  Bethia  and  Daniel. 
His  second  wife  was  Hannah  Batchelder  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Jane  and  Charles.  2.  Rebecca,  d.  3.  Jonathan,  m.  Mary 
Nichols  ;  whose  ch.  were  :— Aseph,  Hubbard,  Moses,  Eunice, 
Orrison,  Edmund,  Cruso,  Rebecca,  Mary,  Fanny  and  Har- 
rison. 4.  Rebecca.  5.  Martin,  m.  Prudence  Kendall; 
whose  ch.  were  : — Isaac,  Mary,  Alvin,  Annis,  David,  Ada- 
line,  Bartlett  Stoddard,  Benjamin  and  IMartin.  6.  xVnna, 
m.  Marshall  Stoddard ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Marshall,  Anna, 
Jane  and  Benjamin.  7.  Miriam,  m.  Bartlett  Stoddard ; 
whose  ch.  were  : — Bartlett  and  Nancy  Keziah,  d.  8.  Keziah. 
Mr.  Kendall  d.  in  1841,  ae.  96. 

Kneeland,  Timothy,  from  Harvard,  was  the  third  inhabi- 
tant of  the  town  ;  (Samuel  Cook  was  the  second  inhabitant  of 
Gardner,  and  lived  where  Aaron  L.  Greenwood  now  resides  ; 
nothing  more  can  be  ascertained  concerning  him,  as  he  moved 
from  town  in  the  early  part  of  its  history.)  He  located 
about  one  and  one-half  miles  west  of  the  center  of  the  town, 
(which  was  then  Winchendon,)  was  a  carpenter,  had  a  good 
education  and  was  much  employed  in  town  affairs.     He  was 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


37 


a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  war  three  years  and  three 
months.     There  are  none  of  his  descendants   now  residing 
in  Grardner.     Soon  after  they  came  here,   (while  they  went 
by  marked  trees,)  Mrs.  Kneeland  visited  at  Mr.  Bancroft's, 
one  of  the  neighbors  ;   on  her  return  home  she  lost  the  path 
and  wandered  several  miles  until  she  came  to   Otter  river, 
and  not  knowing  where  she  was,  called  loudly  for  help  ; 
having  a  child  with  her,  they  sat  down  on  a  log  to  rest,  and 
being  warm,  she  took  off  her  bonnet ;  hearing  a  crackling  of 
something  coming  towards  her  and  thinking  it  must  be  a  bear 
or  a  wolf,  she  screamed,  when  her  own  dog  barked  in  an- 
swer :  she  always  called  that  the  most  joyful  moment  of  her 
life  ;  when  she  got  her  child  asleep   she  arose  and  told  the 
dog  to  go  home.     She  forgot  her  bonnet  and  never  found  it 
afterwards,  or  knew  the  place  where  the  dog  found  her.     Be- 
fore the  incorporation  of  the  town  they  attended  meeting  in 
Templeton  ;  at  one  time,  the  snow  being  deep,  they  put  on 
rackets  and  walked  four  miles  to  meeting,  carrying  a  child  to 
be  baptized.     Mrs.  Kneeland  was   a  very  enterprising  wo- 
man, as  the  following  anecdote  will  show  :    One  night  after 
her  family  had  retired  to  rest  she  had  ten  yards  to  weave  to 
complete  the  web  ;  the  cloth  belonged  to  a  lady  in  Temple- 
ton,  and  being  in  want  of  the  pay  she  labored  through  the 
night  and  finished  the  web   at  the   dawn  of  day.     He  m. 
Maria  Stone  ;  their  ch.  were  : — 1.  Maria,  m.  Josiah  Nichols; 
whose  ch.  were: — Andrew,  Sarah,  David,  Levi,  Sabria  and 
Fanny.     2.  Oliver,  m.  Betsy  Baldwin  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Israel,  Lucy,  Silas,  Esther,  Betsy,  Levi,  Abner  and  Edward. 
3.  John,  m.  Mary  Johnson  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Mary   Cyn- 
thia,^ Electa,  Lucy,  Bial,  Arza,  Eliza  and  John  W.     4.  Mi- 
riam.    5.  Asa,  m.  Hannah  Cheney  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — John, 
Phyland,  Hannah  G.,  Dulcena,  Asa,  Maria,  Abner,  Leonard, 

4* 


38 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


Sarah,  Gardner  and  Averill.  6.  Abner,  m.  "Waity  Orms- 
bee ;  wliose  cli  were  : — AYaitstill,  Sophronia  and  John  S. 
His  second  wife  was  Lucinda  Mason;  whose  ch  were: — • 
Lucinda  and  Abner  0.  His  third  wife  was  Mrs.  Osburn. 
His  fourth  wife  was  a  lady  from  Boston.  Abner  Kneeland, 
whose  fame  reached  almost  every  country,  was  brought  up 
in  the  good  old-fashioned  ways  of  our  ancestors.  Being 
naturally  of  a  strong  mind,  he,  with  but  little  assistance, 
gained  a  good  education,  and  was  employed  in  the  capacity 
of  a  school-teacher  for  some  time.  In  1802  he  published  a 
spelling-book  of  200  pages,  entitled  the  "American  Definition 
Spelling  Book."  He  was  engaged  as  a  merchant  for  a  time, 
but  adhering  to  the  principle  of  justice  and  honesty,  depend- 
ing upon  prosperity  for  a  living,  the  tide  of  fortune  rolled 
the  wrong  way,  and  he  gave  up  the  business  for  the  carpen- 
ter's trade;  saying,  the  only  way  to  be  rich,  is  to  be-con- 
tented  with  what  you  have  ;  thus  making  the  beggar  as  rich 
as  the  king  could  possibly  be  on  his  throne.  In  1805  he 
was  ordained  as  a  Baptist  minister  in  Langdon,  N.  H.,  and 
for  several  years  was  a  member  of  that  denomination.  Af- 
terwards he  was  a  preacher  of  universal  salvation  for  some 
years.  Subsequently  he  became  a  deist,  and  was  for  many 
years  the  editor  of  the  Boston  Investigator.  He  d.  in  1844, 
ae.  70.  7.  Lucy,  m.  Paul  Stearns;  whose  ch.  were: — 
Timothy  Kneeland,  Lucy,  Thomas,  John  Milton,  (who  is  a 
Counsellor  and  Attorney  at  law,  in  Williamsburg,  N.  Y.,) 
Sarah,  Benjamin  Franklin,  (a  merchant  in  Felchville,  Vt.,) 
and  George  Washington,  (twins,)  (is  a  minister  and  physi- 
cian in  New  Bedford,  Mass.,)  Paul  W.  and  Honestus.  8. 
Sarah,  m.  Mr.  Phinney.  9.  Edward,  d.  10.  Silas,  m. 
Martha  Laws  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Lucy,  Maria,  Martha,  Ira, 
Joel,  Nancy,  Abel  L.  M.,  George  W.  S.  and  Mary.  Mr. 
Kneeland  d.  in  1818,  ae.  81. 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


39 


Kelton,  Samuel,  from  Needham,  was  a  farmer,  residing 
in  the  nortli  part  of  the  town,  where  his  grandson,  Charles 
Kelton,  now  lives.  He  m.  Mary  Leeds;  their  ch.  were: — 
1.  Lemuel,  m.  Martha  Angier ;  whose  ch.  were: — Martha, 
Abigail  and  Samuel.  2.  Esther.  3.  Enos,  m.  Dorothy 
Winchester ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Louisa,  George,  Selina, 
Charles  and  Lucinda.  4.  William.  5.  Eliam,  m.  Sophia 
Hosley;  whose  ch.  were: — David  and  Nancy.  Mary,  m. 
Stillman  Holden.     Mr.  Kelton  was  79  years  of  age. 

Kendall,  Abel,  from  Sterling,  was  a  farmer,  residing  in 
the  east  part  of  the  town ;  was  a  very  active  man  and  much 
employed  in  town  aifairs.  He  staid  in  town  but  a  few  years. 
The  name  of  his  wife  is  not  on  record  :  their  ch.  were  : — 
Abel,  m.  Betsy  Childs ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Betsy,  Mary, 
Silas,  d.,  Lucinda,  Silas,  Heman,  d..  Wilder,  d.,  Ezra,  He- 
man  Wilder  and  Lima  Sawyer. 

Kemp,  John,  from  Grroton,  was  a  miller,  in  the  south 
part  of  the  town.  He  m.  Sarah  Shattuck  ;  their  ch.  were  :  — 
1.  Jonathan,  m.  Fidelia  Johnson.  2.  Sarah,  m.  Amos  Bay  ; 
whose  ch.  were: — Eliza  Ann,  Sarah  Maria,  Elvira  and 
Charles  Hudson.  His  second  wife  was  Hephzibah  Garfield  ; 
they  had  one  child,  whose  name  was  Lucy  G.  3.  Betsy,  m. 
Amos  Gates  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Walter,  George,  Webster 
and  Adaline.  4.  Amy,  m.  John  Eaton  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Thomas,  Milley,  Sarah,  Nathaniel,  James,  Wendell,  Simeon, 
Jefi'erson,  Francis  and  Charles.  5.  John,  m.  Sylvia  Sawin. 
6.  Olive,  m.  Almond  Bay  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Malvina,  Lucy 
Ann,  Harriet,  Elmira  and  Jane.  7.  Nancy,  m.  Benjamin 
A.  Gates  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Viola,  Francis,  Lucy,  Mary, 
Isaac,  Newell,  Alvin,  Hiram,  Eliza,  Edward  and  Ellen.  8. 
Lucy,  m.  David  Kendall;  whose  ch.  were  : — Eliza,  George, 


40 


FAMILY  HISTORY 


Webster,  Ellen,  Josephine,  Charles  and  Frank.     Mr.  Kemp 
d.  in  1853,  ae.  82. 

Leland,  Simeon,  (son  of  Simeon,  and  grand-son  of  Wil- 
liam Leland,)  from  Sherburne,  settled  as  a  farmer,  where 
now  resides  Charles  Green.  He  m.  Rhoda  Hill ;  their  ch. 
were  : — 1.  Lynda.  •  2.  Hollis,  m.  Betsy  Graves  ;  whose  ch. 
were :— Charles  H.,  Simeon,  Ebenezer  Franklin,  Almon 
Augustus,  Aaron  Sanford,  Stephen  Nelson,  Eveline  Eliza- 
beth, Andrew  Jackson,  Henry  Clinton  and  Alonzo  Davis. 
3.  Bellarmine,  m.  Harriet  Hill ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Simeon, 
David  W.,  Ezra,  Rhoda,  Levi,  Bellarmine,  d.,  and  Bellar- 
mine. 4.  Simon,  m.  in  the  Western  country,  and  was  noted 
for  trading  with  the  Lidians,  who  were  very  fond  of  whi  ky, 
and  would  often  beg  and  plead  for  it ;  at  one  time  an  Indian 
plead  so  earnestly  that  Mr.  Leland  asked  him  if  he  would 
have  a  finger  cut  oif,  whereupon  he  laid  his  hand  upon  a 
block,  willing  to  sacrifice  it  for  whisky.  Mr.  L.  did  not  ac- 
cept his  hand  :  whether  the  Lidian  got  his  whisky  or  not,  I 
am  unable  to  say.  5.  Elbridge,  m.  Betsy  Priest;  they  had 
one  child  whose  name  was  Lucy  R.  His  second  wife  was 
Eliza  Punchon  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — H.  N.  Bolton,  Edwin, 
Amasa  P.,  Mary  Ann,  John,  Edward,  Jane  0.,  Sarah  E. 
and  Rachel  E.  6.  Rhoda,  m.  Silas  Seaver ;  whose  ch. 
were  : — Martha,  Lvnda,  3Iary,  Amanda,  Lucy,  Samuel,  San- 
ford, Sm3Tna  and  Rhoda  Ann.   Mr.  Leland  d.  in  1  823,  ae.  64. 

Lynde,  William,  from  Maiden,  became  an  inhabitant  of 
Gardner,  and  owned  the  valuable  farm  where  his  son,  Wil- 
liam S.  Lynde,  now  resides.  He  was  a  valuable  citizen.  He 
m.  3Liry  Waite  ;  they  had  one  child  whose  name  was  Wil- 
liam Saro-eant,  who  m.  Christiana  Comee  ;  their  ch.  were  : — 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


41 


Mary  Malvina,  James  Porter,'''  Charles,  Cclia,  Sarah  Put- 
nam and  Leander  Comee.  His  second  wife  was  Mrs.  Bol- 
ton ;  whose  eh.  were  : — Octavia  Ann  and  Harriet  Melinda, 
d.     Mr.  Lynde  d.  in  1841,  ae.  76. 

Learned,  Samuel,  from  Cambridge,  was  a  farmer  and 
blacksmith,  residing  in  the  east  part  of  the  town.  He  m. 
Lydia  Knapp  ;  their  ch.  were: — 1.  William,  m.  Rebecca 
Nichols  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — William  Howard,  Lydia  Knapp, 
Walter  Nichols,  Rebecca  Lynde,  Emily  Adaline,  Francis 
and  Lucy  Pierce.  His  second  wife  was  Lois  Davis  ;  they 
had  one  child  whose  name  was  Myron.  2.  Samuel,  m.  Abi- 
gail Jaquith ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Samuel  and  John.  His 
second  wife  was  Jerusha  Haynes  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Turel 
and  Jerusha.  His  third  wife  was  Sarah  Joslin  ;  whose  ch. 
were  : — William  and  Frank.  His  fourth  wife  was  Mrs. 
Eaton.  3.  Lydia,  m.  Winslow  Davis  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Samuel,  Mary  L.,  Martha  L.,  Silas,  Porter,  Charles  and 
Sarah  A.  4.  Anna.  5.  John,  m.  Maria  Miller  ;  whose  ch. 
were  : — John,  Susan,  Abby,  Alonzo  and  Lucy.  His  second 
wife  was  Betsy  Miller.  6  and  7.  Mary  and  Martha,  (twins  ;) 
Mary,  m.  Charles  Green,  whose  ch.  were  : — Fanny,  Mary, 
Nathan,  Charles  Henry  and  Emma  Augusta.  Martha,  m. 
George  M.  Travers  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Martha  Elizabeth 
and  Mary  Frances.  8.  Ebenezer  Turel,  m.  Mary  White ; 
whose  ch.  were  : — Sarah  Matilda,  Susan  Tufts,  Mary  White, 
Lydia  Knapp,  Anna  Martha,  Ellen  Maria  and  Josephine 
Dorr.     Mr.  Learned  d.  in  1847,  ae.  77. 

Matthews,  John,  from  Holden,  located  as  a  farmer,  where 
his  grandson,  Joel  Matthews,  now  resides.     He  was  a  soldier 

*Now  a  practicing-  Physician  in  Atliol. 


42 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


in  tlie  Kevolutionary  war  six  months.  He  m.  Patience 
Graves  ;  their  ch  were  : — 1.  John,  m.  Mary  Turner  ;  whose 
ch.  were  : — Abel,  Edward  Turner,  Betsy  Knowlton  and 
Luc}'.  2.  Abel,  m.  Lucretia.  Wilder  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Parney  and  Abel.  3.  Patience.  4.  Joel,  m.  Sarah  Cool- 
idge  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Phebe,  Joel,  James  Coolidge,  Betsy 
Gould,  Sarah,  Lydia,  Lewis  Glazier,  Hezekiah  and  Lucy 
Glazier.  5.  Priscilla,  m.  Luke  Baker;  whose  ch.  were: — 
Joel,  Asa,  Richard  and  Abel.  6.  Lydia,  m.  Joel  Fisher. 
7.  Phebe.     8.  Hezekiah,     Mr.  Matthews  d.  in  1817,  ae.  82. 

Martin,  Jonathan,  came  from  Lunenburg  in  the  year  1793, 
established  himself  as  a  farmer  in  the  west  part  of  the  town  ; 
the  place  is  now  owned  by  Seth  Whitney.  He  m.  Susanna 
Taylor;  their  ch.  were  : — I.John.  2.  David.  3.  George, 
m.  Fanny  Brickley ;  they  had  one  child  whose  name  was 
Susanna.  He  d.  of  the  small  pox  in  Montreal.  4.  Jonathan, 
m.  Lydia  Dukley.  5.  James,  m.  Lucy  Travers;  whose  ch. 
were  : — David  Taylor,  Eliza  Ann,  Susan,  James  Loyd,  John, 
Edwin  and  Edward,  (twins,)  Elijah  Travers,  George,  Jona- 
than Walter.*  His  second  wife  was  Mary  Wadsworth  ; 
whose  ch.  were: — Lucy,  Maria  and  Catharine.  His  third 
wife  was  Mary  Upton  ;  whose  ch.  were : — Frederick,  Mary 
and  Lucy.  His  family  are  all  singers  and  teachers  in  music 
and  other  branches  of  literature.  6.  Susanna,  m.  Austin 
Parker;  whose  ch.  were: — Marion  B.,  Frederick,  Damaris, 
and  Norman.  7.  Betsy,  d.  8.  Betsy,  m.  Elijah  Travers ; 
whose  ch.  were  : — George  Martin,  Lydia  Pierce,  Charles 
Sumner,  Fidelia  Waterman,  Betsy  Lane  Lawrence,  Sarah 
Sergeant,  Horace  Parker,  Elijah  Clement  and  Otis  Aureleas. 
9.  Lucy,  m.  Barton  Geary;  whose  ch.  were  : — Sarah  Eme- 

*  A  practicing  Physician  in  Worcester. 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


43 


line,  Stephen,  Lucy  Arminda,  Martin  Van  Buren,  Harris, 
Lafayette  and  Elmina.     Mr.  Martin  d.  in  1826. 

Merriam,  Jonathan,  from  Westminster,  was  a  farmer  in 
the  north-east  part  of  the  town,  where  Asa  Raymond  now 
resides.  He  m.  Betsy  Harris;  whose  ch.  were: — Jacob 
Harris,  (was  a  minister,  receiving  his  education  at  Bangor, 
Maine  ;)  Nathan,  Betsy  Winchester,  d.,  Sarah  Harris,  Samuel 
Harris,  Milton  and  Betsy. 

Miles,  Oliver,  from  Concord,  was  a  cabinet-maker,  living 
where  Mrs.  Addison  Gates  now  resides.  He  m,  Sarah  Jos- 
lin  ;  their  ch.  were  : — 1.  Orinda,  m.  Andrew  Mentser  ;  whose 
ch.  were  : — Orinda,  William  and  Andrew.  2.  John  Joslin, 
m.  Sarah  Mosman ;  whose  ch.  were : — Ezra  and  George. 
3.  Charles,  m.  Sophia  Brown.  4.  Walter,  m.  Miss  Ingalls. 
5.  Luke,  m.  Mary  Ann  Conant ;  whose  ch.  were: — Mary 
Ann  and  Luke.  6.  Cyrus,  in.  Ann  Whitney.  7.  Harriet, 
m.  Charles  Crane.  Mr.  Miles  removed  from  Gardner  some 
years  since. 

Miles,  John,  from  Concord,  is  now  living  with  his  daugh- 
ter, about  a  mile  east  of  the  center  of  the  town ;  was  a  far- 
mer while  he  was  able  to  labor.  He  m.  Mary  Mosman ; 
their  ch.  were  : — 1.  Mary.  2.  Louisa,  m.  John  Dalrymple  ; 
whose  ch.  were  : — John  Miles,  William,  George  Healy,  Mary 
Augusta,  Laura  Eliza,  d.,  and  Ellen  Laura. 

Nichols,  David,  from  Reading ;  was  a  farmer  and  black- 
smith. He  resided  near  South  Gardner,  on  the  place  now 
owned  by  Joseph  Metcalf;  was  a  valued  citizen  while  he 
lived,. but  died  in  the  prime  of  life.  He  m.  Rebecca  Bur- 
knap;  whose  ch.  were : — 1.  David, m. Rachel  Howard;  whose 
ch.  were  : — Lydia,  David,  Betsy,   Isaac,  Nathan,  Rebecca, 


44 


FAMILY  HISTORY 


Edmund,  Amos,  Elvira,  Emily  and  Charles.  2.  Kendall, 
m.  Deborah  Partridge  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Amos,  Aseph, 
Joseph,  Burknap,  Isaac  and  William  ;  the  two  last  mentioned 
were  drowned  while  on  an  excursion  of  pleasure.  3.  Re- 
becca. 4.  Mary.  5.  Isaac,  m.  Nancy  Dodge;  whose  ch. 
were  : — Farwell,  Nancy,  Lucy  and  Lyman.  6.  Asa,  m. 
Mary  Derby  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Merrick,  Burknap,  "Wash- 
ington, Lucy  and  William.  7.  Sarah.  8.  Edmund,  m. 
Esther  Jackson  ;  they  had  one  child  whose  name  was  Frank- 
lin. His  second  wife  was  Rhoda  Forbush ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Esther,  Edmund,  Martha  and  Amos.  9.  John,  m.  Betsy 
Stevens;  whose  ch.  were: — Eliza,  Betsy,  Charles  Curtis, 
John  Loring,  Thomas  Otis,  Abel  Stevens,  Mary  and  Mar- 
tha, (twins,)  and  Franklin.     Mr.  Nichols  d.  at  the  age  of  50. 

Noyes,  Adam,  from  Littleton,  was  a  merchant  in  South 
Gardner,  and  also  kept  a  public  house.  He  m.  3Iehitable 
Tuttle  ;  whose  ch.^  were  : — Henry  Warren,  Thomas  Russel, 
Adam  Simedor,  Charles  M.  A.,  d.,  Maria  Miriam  and  Charles 
Addison.     He  moved  from  Gardner  many  years  ago. 

Oso;ood,  Jonathan,  from  Westford,  was  the  first  minister 
settled  in  Gardner ;  (he  is  spoken  of  more  particularly  in 
the  ecclesiastical  department.)  He  m.  Orange  Wardsworth ; 
their  ch.  were: — 1.  Amelia  Lewis  Fenn.  2.  Eliza  Orange 
Wardsworth,  m.  Joshua  M.  Whitcomb  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Jonathan  0.,  Harriet  E.,  Joshua  M.  and  Charles  W.*  3. 
Jonathan  Walter  Dondolo,  m.  Eliza  Barnard  ;  they  had  one 
child  whose  name  was  Walter  B.  His  second  wife  was 
Miss  M.  F.  Stone;  whose  ch.  were: — James  S.,  Eliza  F. 
and  Caroline  P.     He  graduated  at  Dartmouth  College,  was 

*  Is  now  a  Physician  in  Barre. 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


45 


a  physician  in  Templeton  for  many  years,  and  is  now  resid- 
ing in  Greenfield.  4.  Amanda  Almira,  m.  Clement  Jewett ; 
whose  eh.  were  : — George,  Mary  and  Sarah.  5.  Harrison 
Mortimer,  m.  Miss  Leonard.     Mr.  Osgood  d.  in  1822,  ae.  61. 

Payson,  Joseph,  from  Framingham,  was  a  farmer  and 
shoemaker,  living  in  the  east  part  of  the  town,  where  his 
grandson,  Joseph  P.  Howe,  now  resides.  He  m.  Mary  Hill ; 
their  ch.  were: — 1.  Mary.  2.  Susanna.  3.  Eleanor,  m. 
Uriah  Clapp.  His  second  wife  was  Azubah  Wilder  ;  whose 
ch.  were: — Asahel,  Daniel,  Mary,  d.,  Bellona  and  Lovell. 
His  second  wife  was  Betsy  Leach.  His  third  wife  was  Mrs. 
Hale.     Mr.  Payson  d.  in  1832,  ae.  89. 

Perley,  Allen,  from  Ward,  (now  Auburn,)  was  a  farmer, 
living  where  his  son,  Dea.  Asa  Perley,  now  resides.  He 
m.  Juda  Case  ;  their  ch.  were  :-^l.  Susanna,  m.  Mr.  Marsh  ; 
whose  ch  were  : — George,  Daniel,  Ebenezer,  Presson  and 
Susan.  2.  Allen,  m.  Anna  Greenwood  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Martha,  Sylvia,  and  Elizabeth.  3.  Sarah.  4.  David,  m. 
Miriam  Partridge  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Almira,  Anna,  Thu- 
seba,  Hannah  Bigelow,  David,  Mary  Ann,  Adam  and  Hiram, 
(twins,)  d.,  Asa  and  Henry.  5.  Anna,  m.  George  W. 
Davis  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Walter,  George,  Alonzo  and 
Betsy.  His  second  wife  was  Betsy  Conant ;  whose  ch. 
were  : — Lyman,  Leander,  Anna  Perley,  Maria,  Lucy  Ann, 
Silas  and  Charles.  His  third  wife  was  Miss  Rich.  6.  Asa, 
m.  Mary  Kendall ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Mary  Elmira,  Asa 
Proctor,  Charles  Addison,  William  Porter,  George  Allen, 
James  Munroe,  Francis  Walter,  Theophilus  Parsons,  Lean- 
der Alonzo,  Lewis  F.  and  Ellen  Maria. 

Partridge,  Jabez,  from  Sherburne,  located  as  a  farmer  in 

5 


46 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


the  south  part  of  the  town,  where  his  grandson,  Seneca 
Partridge,  now  resides.  He  was  one  of  the  first  inhabitants 
of  the  town.  He  m.  Anna  Twichell ;  their  ch  were: — 1. 
Adam,  d.  2.  Deborah,  m.  Elisha  Pierce  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Nancy,  Louisa,  Elisha,  Amos  and  Hannah.  3.  Adam,  m. 
Mary  Jackson  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Asa,  Seneca,  Oran,  Caro- 
line, Loenza,  Adam,  Mary  and  Louisa.  4.  Hannah,  m.  Mr. 
Bigelow  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Anna,  Cynthia  and  Miriam.  5. 
Cynthia,  m.  Luke  Whitney  ;  whose  ch.  were  :  —Orison,  Thu- 
seba,  d.,  Luke,  Cynthia,  Thuseba,  William,  Anna,  Jerome, 
Mary,  Eliza  and  Asa.     6.  Miriam.     7.  Henry. 

Partridge,  Keuben,  from  Sherburne,  was  a  farmer,  living 
in  the  south  part  of  the  town.  He  m.  Mary  Perry ;  their 
ch.  were  : — 1.  Deborah.  2.  Mary,  m.  Samuel  Hill ;  whose 
ch.  were  : — Amos,  Moses,  John,  Nathaniel  and  William. 

Pierce,  John,  was  a  farmer,  living  in  the  east  part  of  the 
town.  He  left  Gardner  many  years  since.  The  names  of 
their  ch.  were : — Nathan,  Lucy,  Peter,  Abigail,  John  and 
Susanna. 

Priest,  Joseph,  from  Winchendon,  located  as  a  farmer  in 
the  west  part  of  the  town,  where  now  resides  Nahum  Wal- 
lace. He  m.  Patience  Stiles  ;  their  ch.  were  : — 1.  Levi,  m. 
Hannah  Woodbury;  whose  ch.  were: — Joseph,  Milo,  Levi 
Woodbury,  Francis  Dana  and  Nancy.  His  second  wife  was 
Prudence  Hyde.  2.  Joseph.  3.  Lucy.  4.  Jacob,  m.  Mary 
Clark ;  whose  ch.  were : — Joseph,  Willard,  Mary,  Martha, 
Betsy,  Lucy,  Eliza  and  Harriet.  5.  Betsy.  6.  Caleb,  m. 
Louisa  Gage;  whose  ch.  were: — Lorenzo  S.,  Caleb  A., 
Julius  W.,  George  B.,  Calvin  Monroe,  Francis  0.  and  Nancy 
L.     Mr.  Priest  d.  in  1814,  ae.  60. 


FAMILY  HISTOrvY. 


47 


Pemiimau,  Ezra,  from  Braintree,  was  a  farmer,  in  the 
west  part  of  the  town,  where  Heman  Eay  now  resides.  He 
m.  Lovisa  Eager;  their  eh.  were: — 1.  Lovisa,  m.  Uriah 
Merritt.  2.  Abigail,  m.  Isaiah  Howe ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Sylvester,  Almira  and  Franklin.  3.  Benjamin.  4.  Sarah, 
m.  Jesse  Hill ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Joseph  Milton,  Sarah, 
Edwin,  Calvin  and  Eliza.  Her  second  husband  was  Benja- 
min Wood;  whose  ch.  were: — Betsy,  Amanda,  Lowell, 
Oliver,  Greorge  Franklin  and  Mary  Ann.  5.  Mary,  m.  Mr. 
Chevers.  6.  Betsy,  d.  7.  Susan,  m.  I.  Sumner  Merritt ; 
whose  ch.  were  : — Simeon  and  Ezra.  8.  Tabitha,  m.  Grran- 
ville  Williams.  Her  second  husband  was  Mr.  Bacon.  Mr. 
Penniman  d.  in  1823. 

Putnam,  John,  from  Danvers,  was  a  farmer,  in  the  east 
part  of  the  town.  He  m.  Anna  Penniman  ;  their  ch.  were  : — 
1.  John.  2.  Amasa,  m.  Mary  Temple  ;  whose  ch.  were  :  — 
Amasa,  Mary  Temple,  Lucy,  Martha  Barker,  Nancy,  Sarah 
W.  and  Betsy  Heywood.  3.  Nancy,  m.  Joseph  Whitney; 
whose  ch.  were  : — Ivers,  Eliza  and  Caroline.  4.  Elijah,  m. 
M.  Elmira  Bancroft ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Mary  E.,  Viola  and 
William.  5.  AVilliam,  m.  Mary  Ann  Flood ;  whose  ch. 
were: — Mary  Ann,  Emeline,  Louisa,  William  Elijah,  Lucy 
Adalaide,  James  Amasa  and  Ivers  John.  Mr.  Putnam's  age 
was  77. 

Pratt,  Aaron,  resided  in  the  south-east  part  of  the  town. 

He  m.  Betsy ;  their  ch.  were  : — 1.  Aaron.     2.  Betsy. 

3.  Mercy.  4.  John.  5.  Lovisa.  6.  Susanna.  7.  Wil- 
liam, m.  Sarah  Matthews  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Aaron,  Otis, 
Sarah,  Joel,  William,  Walter  and  Eliza.  8.  Russel,  m.  Ann 
Wheeler  ;  whose  ch.  were : — John,  Henry  and  Charles.  Mr. 
Pratt  d.  in  1812. 


48 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


Kichardson,  Jonas,  from  Worcester,  located  in  the  north- 
east part  of  the  town,  where  Stillman  Holden  now  resides ; 
he  was  a  shoe-maker,  and  like  other  people  of  that  occupa- 
tion in  those  days,  would  take  his  tools  and  go  about  from 
house  to  house  making  up  shoes  for  the  year.  He  m.  Mary 
Bailey;  their  eh.  were: — 1.  Azubah,  m.  Benjamin  Pierce; 
whose  eh.  were  : — Benjamin  and  Azubah.  2.  Abel,  m. 
Sarah  Lincoln.  His  second  wife  was  3Irs.  Whitcomb.  3. 
Mary,  m.  Benjamin  Hill;  they  had  one  child  whose  name 
was  John.  4.  Betsy,  m.  Jonathan  Currier ;  whose  eh. 
were : — Mary,  Hannah,  Betsy,  Nathan  and  Almira.  5. 
Persis.  6.  Hattie,  m.  Daniel  Currier ;  whose  eh.  were: — 
Joseph  and  Benjamin,  (twins,)  and  Lucinda.  Her  second 
husband  was  Robinson  Howe  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Huldah, 
Catharine,  Sophia  and  Mary.  7.  Jonas,  m.  Abigail  Currier  ; 
whose  ch.  were: — Mary  Jane,  Charles  and  Abel.  8.  Asa, 
m.  Elizabeth  Glazier  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Lydia,  Elizabeth, 
d.,  Francis,  Lucy,  Jonas,  Persis,  d.,  and  Isaac.  9.  Nathan, 
m.  Sophia  Boutelle  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Thomas  B.,  Louisa 
B.,  Charles,  LoenzaB.,  Henry  H.,  Jonas  Bailey  and  Sarah 
Sophia.  His  second  wife  was  Lydia  Woodbury  ;  they  had 
one  child  whose  name  was  Levi,  m.  Lovisa  Pratt ;  whose 
ch.  were  : — Lydia  Elizabeth,  Mason  and  Jason,  (twins.)  Mr. 
Richardson  d.  in  1815,  ae.  72. 

Reed,  David,  from  Stowe,  was  a  farmer  in  the  south-east 
part  of  the  town ;  he  had  a  house  burnt  many  years  ago  ; 
being  frightened,  he  carried  out  a  tub  of  sap  that  was  sup- 
posed to  have  been  sufficient  to  have  extinguished  it,  had 
he  applied  it  to  that  purpose.  He  m.  Naomi  Wright ;  their 
ch.  were: — 1.  Abram.  2.  Asa,  d.  3.  David,  m.  Mary 
Smith;  whose  ch.  were: — David,  d.,  Allen,  d.,  David,  Joel 
and  Mary  Naomi.     4.  Asa,  m.  Rhoda  Brooks ;  whose  ch. 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


49 


were  : — Mary  Ann,  Rlioda  Elizabeth  and  David  Washburn. 
Mr.  Reed  d.  in  1820,  ae.  66. 

Saunders,  Samuel,  from  Ashby,  was  a  farmer,  living  in 
the  south-east  part  of  the  town,  where  his  grand-son,  Frank- 
lin Saunders,  now  resides.  He  m.  Lydia  Boynton ;  their 
ch.  were  : — 1 .  Lydia  and  Sarah,  (twins,)  Lydia,  m.  Phile- 
mon Stacy  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — John,  Philemon,  and  Joseph. 
Her  second  husband  was  William  Fortiner.  Sarah,  m. 
Whitman  Austin.  3.  Abigail,  m.  Jonas  Shepherd.  4.  Pa- 
tience, m.  Oliver  Clark.  5.  Ruth,  m.  Isaac  Holbrook.  6. 
Lucy,  m.  Asa  Fairbanks.  7.  Samuel,  m.  Rachel  Turner ; 
whose  ch.  were : — Rachel,  John,  Joseph  and  Samuel.  8. 
Moses,  m.  Sarah  Underwood;  whose  ch.  were: — Betsy,  d., 
Cynthia,  d.,  Amos  Underwood,  d.,  Willard,  Maria,  Frank- 
lin, Eunice,  Amos,  Isaac,  Jacob  Wright  and  Joseph  Lee. 
9  Jonas,  m.  Hannah  Trask.  10.  Aaron,  m.  Sarah  G-ragg. 
11.  Abram,  m.  Betsy  Trask. 

Stone,  Samuel,  from  Groton,  purchased  a  lot  of  wild  land 
in  the  north  part  of  the  town  ;  the  same  that  is  now  the  town 
farm ;  he  cleared  the  land  and  erected  buildings  thereon ; 
he  was  a  very  substantial  man,  and  a  great  help  in  building 
up  the  town.  He  m.  Martha  Wilder;  their  ch.  were: — 1. 
Eunice,  m.  Israel  Stone  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Simon,  Ausbon, 
Nelson  and  Mary.  2.  Samuel,  m.  Susan  Haynes ;  whose 
ch.  were: — Martha,  "Reuben,  Susan,  Joseph,  Willis  and 
Betsy.  3.  Joseph,  m.  Miss  Stiles;  whose  ch  were: — Har- 
vey and  Hezekiah.  4.  Josiah,  m.  Eunice  Haynes  ;  whose 
ch.  were  : — Mary,  Eunice,  Susan,  Martha  and  Ezra.  5. 
Martha.  6  and  7.  Benjamin  and  Oliver,  (twins;)  Benja- 
min, m.  Lucy  Wheeler;  whose  ch.  were  : — Leonard,  d.,  Ai, 
Calvin,  Albert,  Leonard,  Samson,  Lucy  and  Judson.     His 

5* 


50 


FAMILY  HISTORY, 


second  wife  was  Susannah  Rolph.  Oliver,  m.  Miss  Bradley ; 
whose  ch.  were  : — Mary,  Miranda  and  Betsy.  8.  Mary,  m. 
Jonas  Patch  ;  they  had  one  child  whose  name  was  Mary.  9. 
Abram,  m.  Abigail  Barrel ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Abigail, 
Lydia,  Mary,  Abram  and  Fanny.  10.  Diedamia,  m.  Joel 
Walker  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Miriam,  Emily,  Bellona,  Louisa, 
Lucy,  Raymond,  Alvah,  Martha  and  Charles.  11.  Miriam. 
Mr.  Stone  d.  in  1831,  ae.  80. 

Stone,  Simon,  from  Templeton,  was  a  farmer,  and  had  a 
saw-mill  where  Ai  Stone  now  resides.  He  m.  Rhoda  Stone  ; 
whose  ch.  were  : — Rhoda  and  Simon.  His  second  wife  was 
Miss  Boynton  ;  they  had  one  child  whose  name  was  Joseph 
Whitemore.  His  third  wife  was  Keziah  Kendall.  Mr. 
Stone  moved  from  Gardner  many  years  since. 

Sawyer,  Jude,  from  Lancaster,  bought  a  place  in  the  south 
part  of  the  town,  now  occupied  by  Ezekiel  Gates  ;  was  a 
farmer  and  blacksmith,"  and  was  noted  for  making  steel  traps  ; 
he  made  one  after  he  was  ninety  years  of  age.  He  m.  Phebe 
Keyes.     Mr.  Sawyer  d.  in  1843,  ae.  93. 

Simonds,  Elijah,  from  Shirley,  was  a  farmer,  living  in  the 

south  part  of  the  town.     He   m.   Abigail  ;  their  ch. 

were  : — 1.  Elizabeth,  d.  2.  Elijah,  d.  3.  Elijah,  m.  Persis 
Richardson ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Mary,  Asa  and  Sumner 
Jackson.  4.  Jonathan.  5.  Ezekiel.  6.  David.  7.  Abi- 
gail, d.     8.  Asa.     9.  Abigail.     10.  Lucy. 

Simonds,  Joseph,  from  Boston,  was  a  soldier  in  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  and  noted  for  his  bravery  and  faithfulness ; 
the  sentinel's  post  being  dangerous,  but  few  were  willing  to 
occupy  that  place :  Mr.  Simonds  was  a  volunteer  in  that 
department  for  the  sake  of  the  compensation ;  he  used  to 


FAMILY  IIISTORr. 


51 


tell  a  story  of  its  being  so  dark  one  night  that  he  "  couldn't 
liold  up  his  hand  f  meaning  that  he  could  not  see  it  were  it 
before  him.     He  m.  Miriam  Pratt. 

Sawin,  Benjamin,  from  Westminster,  was  a  farmer,  resid- 
ing about  a  mile  south  of  the  centre  of  the  town ;  the  place 
is  now  owned  by  Gr.  F.  Parish.  He  m.  Lucy  Laws  ;  whose 
oh.  were  : — Lucy  and  Benjamin. 

Seaver,  Ethan,  from  Westminster,  was  a  farmer,  in  the 

east  part  of  the  town.    He  m.  Lydia ;  their  ch.  were  : — 

1.  Luther,  m.  Eunice  Holden ;  whose  ch.  were: — Sarah 
Holden,  Luther,  Mary  Bancroft  and  John  Holden.  2. 
Lydia,  m.  Mr.  Bancroft.  3.  Aaron,  m.  Louisa  Fairbanks  ; 
whose  ch.  were  : — Abigail,  Fanny,  Joseph  and  Lucy.  Mr. 
Seaver  d.  in  1823,  ae.  58. 

Scollay,  James,  from  Ashburnham,  was  a  farmer,  in  the 
east  part  of  the  town,  where  John  Brinkman  now  resides. 
He  m.  Dolly  Corey;  their  ch.  were: — 1.  Dolly,  m.  Amasa 
Whitney ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Charles  and  James.  2.  Sarah, 
m.  David  Parker,  M.  D.,  his  first  wife  was  Eliza  Sawin; 
whose  ch.  were: — Lucy,  Eliza,  d.,  and  Horace  Fletcher. 
His  second  wife  was  Sarah  Scollay ;  they  had  one  child 
whose  name  was  Eliza.  3.  James,  m.  Lucy  M.  Young; 
whose  ch.  were  : — George  and  Lucy  Maria.  4.  Charles,  m. 
Elizabeth  A.  Garfield.  5.  Lucy,  m.  Alfred  H.  Brick  ;  whose 
ch.  were : — Francis,  Eliza,  d.,  and  Harriet  Shattuck.  His 
second  wife  was  Martha  C.  Mahoney  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
George  A.,  Henry  H.,  Charles  E.^and  Helen  M.  6.  Ezra. 
Mr.  Scollay  d.  in  1852.  ae.  69. 

Temple,  Ephraim,  from  Shrewsbury,  was  a  farmer,  resid- 


52 


FAMILY  HISTORY, 


ing  on  the  place  now  occupied  by  his  grand-son,  Seth  H. 
Temple.  He  m.  Elizabeth,  dau.  of  Jacob  Hinds,  of  Shrews- 
bury. His  second  wife  was  Mary  Farrar  ;  their  ch.  were  : — 
1.  Francis,  was  drowned  on  his  way  home  from  Maine,  in 
consequence  of  a  storm,  and  was  cast  away  on  the  shore  of 
the  town  of  Rye.  2.  Isaac,  m.  Elizabeth  Houghton.  3. 
Ephraim,  m.  Sybil  Ray ;  whose  ch.  were  ; — Mary,  Nancy, 
Asa,  d.,  andPhebe.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  enlisted  as 
a  soldier  in  the  army,  and  was  on  duty  most  of  the  time  dur- 
ing the  Revolutionary  war ;  he  was  taken  prisoner  by  the 
enemy  and  carried  to  New  York ;  after  much  suffering,  was 
redeemed  by  way  of  exchange.  After  the  war  was  over  he 
spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  Gardner,  as  a  farmer, 
residing  where  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Holden,  now  lives.  He 
received  a  pension  for  many  years,  and  d.  in  1840,  ae.  80. 
4.  Ezra,  it  is  supposed  that  he  died  in  the  army.  5.  Ahio, 
m.  Elizabeth  Heywood  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Martha,  Betsy, 
Francis,  d.,  Mary,  Ahio,  d.,  Asa,  Seth  Heywood  and  Lucy, 
d.  He  cleared  the  land  and  brought  it  to  cultivation,  where 
his  son,  Seth  H.  Temple,  now  lives  ;  he  possessed  an  enter- 
prising spirit,  was  useful  and  instrumental  in  building  up 
the  town.  He  d.  in  1834,  ae.  70.  6.  Loammi.  Mr.  Tem- 
ple d.  in  West  Boylston,  in  1789,  ae.  62. 

Wheeler,  Josiah,  from  Westminster,  was  a  farmer,  in  the 
east  part  of  the  town  ;  was  one  of  the  first  thirty  of  the  early 
settlers ;  he  was  engaged  in  the  French  war  a  short  time. 
This  place  is  now  occupied  by  Asa  Smith.  He  m.  Lucy 
Graves;  their  ch.  were: — 1.  Priscilla,  d.  2.  Lucy,  m. 
Jonathan  Whitney.  3.  Abigail.  4.  Dolly.  5.  Patience, 
d.  6.  Richard.  7.  Josiah.  8.  Betsy.  9.  Levi,  d.  10. 
Reuben,  m.  Betsy  Nichols  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — David,  Cal- 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


53 


vin,  Josiali  Mason,  Reuben,  Elvira  and  Charles  Addison.  Mr. 
Wheeler  d.  in  1823. 

Wood,  Elijah,  was  a  farmer,  in  the  south-west  part  of  the 

town.     He  m.  Isabella ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Isabella, 

Elijah  Bixby,  Susanna,  Eunice,  Abel,  Dolly  and  Timothy. 
Nothing  more  could  be  ascertained  with  regard  to  Mr.  Wood 
or  his  family. 

White,  John,  from  Lexington,  was  a  farmer,  in  the  east 
part  of  the  town,  and  settled  on  the  place  now  owned  by 
John  Brinkman.  He  m.  Ruth  Holden ;  their  ch.  were  : — 
1.  Betsy.  2.  Abigail,  d.  3.  John,  m.  Persis  Cowee ; 
whose  ch.  were  : — John,  Louisa,  Horatio  Nelson,  Abner 
and  Leander.  4.  Mary,  m.  John  Parker  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Lucy,  d.,  Adaline,  d.,  Oscar  Alonzo,  Frederick,  Mary,  Lucy 
White  and  Abner  White.  5.  Augustine.  6.  Abner.  7. 
Rebecca.  8.  Lucy.  9.  Abigail.  Mr.  White  d.  in  1806, 
ae.  59. 

Wilder,  Josiah,  from  Sterling,  was  a  farmer,  in  the  north 
part  of  the  town,  where  Eliam  Kelton  now  resides.  He  m. 
Hezediah  Larkin  ;  their  ch.  were  : — 1.  Azubah.  2.  Katie, 
m.  Abel  Burpy ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Samuel  Stillman,  Mary 
Ann,  Catharine  Wilder,  Sophia,  Relief  and  James.  His 
second  wife  was  Joanna  Baker  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 1.  Heze- 
diah. 2.  Josiah,  m.  Mary  Wheeler;  whose  ch.  were: — 
Betsy,  Mary,  Clarissa  and  Josiah.  3.  David.  4.  Isaac, 
m.  Percia  Jones ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Homar,  Isaac,  Asa, 
Mary,  Abel  and  David.  5.  Joanna.  Mr.  Wilder  d.  in 
1826,  ae.  76. 

Wheeler,  Joel,  from  Concord,  located  as  a  farmer  in  the 
north  part  of  the   town ;  the  place  is   now   owned  by  his 


54 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


grand-son,  Francis  L.  Wheeler  ;  he  built  a  grist  and  saw-mill 
near  where  John  Cowee's  mill  now  stands.  He  m.  Dorcas 
Stearns;  their  ch.  were: — 1.  Timothy,  m.  Mary  Stearns ; 
whose  ch.  were : — Stephen  and  Timothy.  2.  Mary.  3. 
Lucy.  4.  Joel,  m.  Martha  Kelton  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Ho- 
ratio Perkins,  Francis  Lincoln,  Edwin  Jewett  and  Lucretia 
Ann.  His  second  wife  was  Lydia  Emerson ;  whose  ch. 
were: — Betsy  Emeline,  Lucy  L.,  d.,  and  Mary  L.,  d.  5. 
Betsy,  m.  Edward  Lowd.     Mr.  Wheeler  d.  in  1807,  ae.  58. 

Whitcomb,  Jonathan  P.,  was   a  farmer,  in  the  east  part 

of  the   town.     He   m.    Tamar  ;    their   ch.   were: — 1. 

Jonathan,  m.  Eunice ;  whose   ch.   were: — David,  d., 

Eunice,  David,  Isaac,  Mary  and  Thomas.  2.  Annis.  3. 
Lucinda.  4.  Sullivan.  5.  Abram.  Mr.  Whitcomb  left 
town  many  years  since  and  little  is  known  to  us  with  regard 
to  his  family. 

Wilder,  Elijah,  was  a  farmer,  living  in  the  west  part  of 
the  town.  -He  m.  Azubah  Larkin  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Mary, 
Asawell,  Persis,  Phenice  and  Eri.  The  remainder  of  their 
history  is  unknown  to  us. 

Whitney,  Joshua,  from  Harvard,  was  a  farmer,  in  the 
south  part  of  the  town,  where  his  son,  Joseph  Whitney,  now 
resides :  he  was  engaged  in  the  Revolutionary  war  three 
years.  He  m.  Yashti  Knight ;  their  ch.  were  : — 1 .  Oliver,  m. 
Bebecca  Nichols ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Joanna,  Joshua,  Ben- 
jamin, Sarah,  Asa,  Fidelia,  William  and  Filetus.  2.  Dor- 
cas, m.  Edmund  Nichols  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Joel  and  Betsy. 
3.  Dolly.  4.  Joseph,  m.  Nancy  Sawin  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — 
Joshua  Avery,  Fidelia,  Asaph  Blakely,  Mary  Jane,  d..  Ma- 
rietta, Nancy  Jane,  Abigail,  Joseph  Lincoln,  Harriet  Newell, 


FAMILY  HISTORY. 


55 


Mary  Sawyer,  Frederick  and  Harvey.  5.  Dolly,  m.  Asa 
Holden  ;  whose  ch.  ,were  : — Eliza,  Salome,  George  and  Cal- 
vin. 6.  Joshua,  d.  7.  John,  m.  Rachel  Osgood ;  whose 
oh.  were  : — Elvira,  Harrison,  Martha,  Charles,  Dexter  and 
Jane.  8.  Joel,  d.  9.  Silas,  d.  10.  Ebenezer.  d.  11. 
Silas.  12.  Mary,  m.  John  Sawyer  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — An- 
nis  M.,  Silas  and  Mary  A.     Mr.  Whitney  d.  in  1812,  ae.  58. 

Wood,  Jonathan,  was  a  farmer,  in  the  south-west  part  of 
the  town,  where  J.   P.   Allen  now  resides.     He  m.  Anna 

;  their  ch.  were: — 1.  Jonathan,  m.   Betsy  Bancroft; 

whose  ch.  were  : — Mary  Bancroft,  Betsy,  Almon  and  Smyrna. 
His  second  wife  was  Sarah  Perley  ;  whose  ch.  were  : — Sarah 
Case  and  Nelson  Perley.     His  third  wife  was  Mrs.  Morse. 

2.  Catharine.     His  second  wife  was  Lois ;  whose  ch. 

were  : — Benjamin,  Windsor  and  Oliver.  Mr.  AYood  d.  in 
1818. 

Wright,  Joseph,  from  Sterling,  was  a  farmer,  in  the  south 
part  of  the  town,  where  Greorge  W.  Cowee  now  resides.  He 
m.  Rebecca  Nichols;  their  ch.  were: — 1.  Rebecca.  2. 
Joseph,  m.  Nancy  Eaton ;  they  had  one  child  whose  name 
was  Charles  Addison.  3.  Nathaniel,  m.  Susan  Edgell ; 
whose  ch.  were: — Susan,  Marcus,  Thomas,  Francis  and 
Martha.  4.  Lucy.  5.  Ephraim,  m.  Cyrena  Wood ;  they 
had  one  child  whose  name  was  William  Wood,  d.  His 
second  wife  was  Sarah  W.  Bancroft.  His  third  wife  was 
Eliza  Brick;  their  ch.  were  : —William  Wood,  Edwin,  d, 
Eliza,  d. ,  Edwin,  Charles,  Henry  and  Anna  Eliza.  6.  Martha, 
m.  LeyiHeywood;  whose  ch.  were  :— Calvin,  Mary  Whit- 
ney, Charles,  Solon  and  Helen.  7.  Louisa,  m.  Hiram  Clark ; 
whose  ch.  were  :— Harrison  Otis,  Joseph  Wright,   George 


56 


FAMILY  HISTORY, 


Damon,  Cyrus  Porter,  Eliza  M.,  Louisa  A.,  James  F.,  Mary, 
Martha,  Frederick  and  Charles.  8.  Edward,  m.  Catharine 
Conant.  9.  David,  m.  Elizabeth  Gay;  whose  eh.  were:  — 
Catharine  Augusta  and  Ellen  Elizabeth.  10.  Mary,  m. 
AbijahM.  Severy.*'  11.  Emily,  m.  Seth  Heywood  ;  whose 
ch.  were  : — Henry,  George,  Frances  and  Mary.  Mr.  Wright 
d.  in  1824,  ae.  64. 


*  By  iudnstry  and  integrity  Mr.  Severy  acquired  a  handsome  property,  a 
part  of  which  he  bequeathed  in  the  following-  manner:  $3,000  to  be  placed  in 
the  hands  of  Trustees,  the  income  of  whicli  is  to  be  paid  for  the  support  and 
maintenance  of  tlie  Gospel  in  connection  with  the  Baptist  Church  and  Society. 
Also,  $1,000,  tlie  income  of  which  is  to  be  paid  for  the  encourag-ement  of  Sacred 
Music  in  said  Church  and  Society.  He  left  $1,000,  the  income  to  be  paid  for 
the  support  of  a  School  in  the  south  village  ;  also,  he  gave  in  Cash  to  the  So- 
cial Library  Association  of  said  village,  $100 ;  and  left  $500,  the  income  to 
be  paid  to  said  Library  Association. 

By  his  benevolence  he  has  caused  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  in  which  he 
resided,  to  cherish  his  memory  with  gratitude.    Mr.  Severy  d.  in  1842,  ae.  34. 


TOWN  HISTORY. 

The  first  warrant  for  a  town  meeting  in  Gard- 
ner, was  issued  by  Nicholas  Dyke,  Esq.,  of  West- 
minster, directed  to  Peter  Goodale,  of  Gardner, 
ordering  him  to  warn  all  the  male  inhabitants  of 
Gardner,  qualified  by  law  to  vote  in  town  afi'airs, 
to  meet  at  the  house  of  John  Glazier,  on  Mon- 
day, the  15th  of  August,  1785,  for  the  purpose  of 
choosing  all  town  officers,  as  the  law  directs,  for 
annual  March  meetings. 

The  meeting  was  opened  by  Nicholas  Dyke, 
Esq. 

At  a  town  meeting  held  September,  1785, 
Voted,  that  it  is  the  opinion  of  the  Town,  that 
the  county  road  leading  from  Royalston  to  West- 
minster, ought  to  go  through  the  center  of  Gard- 
ner. 

Voted,  to  build  a  meeting-house  60  feet  in 
length,  and  45  in  width,  with  two  porches.  Chose 
a  Committee  to  select  a  building  spot  for  the 
same. 

6 


53  TOWK  HISTORY. 

Voted,  and  chose  Samuel  Kelton,  Joseph 
Bacon,  John  White,  Moses  Hill,  Committee,  to 
draw  a  plan  of  the  house ;  also,  to  see  what  stock 
is  needed  for  the  same. 

Voted,  and  chose  Elisha  Jackson,  Samuel  Kel- 
ton, Simon  Gates,  Committee,  to  hire  preaching. 

Voted,  to  hire  four  Sabbaths  ;  also,  that  the 
Town  allow  accounts,  and  that  the  Town  Clerk 
provide  books  for  keeping  the  records. 

Voted,  that  the  Selectmen  take  a  deed  of  Seth 
Heywood  for  four  acres  of  land  for  the  common, 
and  give  him  security  for  the  same  in  behalf  of 
the  Town.     The  price  of  the  land  is  $100. 

Voted,  to  lay  out  the  road  two  rods  wide.  Also, 
that  the  annual  meeting  be  held  on  the  first 
Monday  in  March. 

Voted,  to  let  out  the  framing  and  finishing  the 
outside  of  the  meeting-house.  Joseph  Bacon 
took  the  job  with  the  addition  of  laying  the  fioor, 
making  the  doors  and  windows, — also,  painting 
the  house,  the  Town  furnishing  the  materials, — 
for  $575.  The  remainder  of  the  work  was  let 
out  in  small  jobs  to  difi'erent  individuals. 

About  this  time  the  people  of  Massachusetts 
were  in  much  distress  on  account  of  the  scarcity 
of  money,  and  many,  perhaps  not  without  some 


TOWN  HISTORY.  ^^ 

reason,  supposed  the  trouble  arose  from  the  mal- 
administration of  the  affairs  of  government. 

The  discontented  portion  of  the  people  were 
called  insurgents,  and  were  led  by  a  Mr.  Shays ; 
hence  the  name  of  "  Shays'  rebellion."  To  show 
the  energy  of  the  first  settlers  of  this  town,  when 
they  undertook  to  accomplish  an  object,  the  fol- 
lowing extract  of  a  town  meeting,  held  Septem- 
ber 25th,  1786,  is  inserted. 

It  appears  that  a  convention  of  reformers  was 
to  be  holden  at  Paxton. 

Voted,  to  send  a  delegate  to  the  convention  at 
Paxton.     Made  choice  of  Capt.  Samuel  Kelton. 

Voted,  to  choose  a  Committee  of  three  to  give 
directions  to  the  delegate  chosen. 

Chose  William  Bickford,  David  Foster,  Elijah 
Wilder,  Committee. 

Voted,  to  adjourn  this  meeting  for  two  hours, 
then  to  meet  at  this  place.  Met  agreeable  to 
the  adjournment.  The  Committee  make  their 
Report  as  follows : 

Whereas,  the  difficulties  and  tumults  that  are 
rising  by  reason  of  the  scarcity  of  money,  and 
large  salaries  to  support  government,  and  high 
fees  of  officers  at  large : 

We  desire  that  you  will  use  your  influence 


60 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


that  the  salaries  may  be  taken  down,  and  sala- 
ries given  that  may  be  handsome  for  their  sup- 
port, and  not  so  burdensome  to  the  people  at 
large  ;  and  that  the  lawyers  and  inferior  Courts 
may  be  annihilated,  and  also  that  the  General 
Court  might  not  make  any  grants  of  State  lands 
to  any  person  except  it  is  to  pay  State  charges  ; 
also,  that  the  General  Court  may  be  removed 
out  of  Boston  into  some  Country  town. 

To  Captain  Samuel  Keltoist,  chosen  to  sit  in  Convention. 

WILLIAM  BICKFORD,  \ 

DAVID  FOSTER,  \  Committee. 

ELIJAH  WILDER,  j 

Gardner,  Sept.  25th,  17S6. 

Voted,  to  accept  of  the  Report  of  this  Com- 
mittee. 


It  may  be  interesting  here  to  insert  an  extract 
from  Lincoln's  History  of  Worcester,  giving  an 
account  of  the  Insurrection  in  Massachusetts. 

"  The  struggles  of  the  Revolution  were  hardly  terminated, 
ere  disturbances  arose  among  the  people,  which,  in  their 
progress,  brought  the  Commonwealth  to  the  very  verge  of 
ruin. 

Could  the  existence  of  insurrection  and  rebellion  be  ef- 
faced from  memory,  it  would  be  wanton  outrage  to  recall 
from   oblivion  the  tale  of  misfortune  and   dishonor.     But 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


61 


those  events  cannot  be  forgotten :  they  have  floated  down 
in  tradition  :  they  are  recounted  by  the  winter  fire-side,  in 
the  homes  of  New  England :  they  are  inscribed  on  roll  and 
record  in  the  archives  and  annals  of  the  State.  History, 
the  mirror  of  the  past,  reflects,  with  painful  fidelity,  the 
dark  as  well  as  the  bright  objects  from  departed  years  ;  and 
although  we  may  wish  to  contemplate  only  the  glowing  pic- 
ture of  patriotism  and  prosperity,  the  gloomy  image  of  civil 
commotion  is  still  full  in  our  sight,  shadowing  the  back- 
ground with  its  solemn  admonition. 

The  investigation  of  the  causes  of  the  unhappy  tumults 
of  1786,  does  not  belong  to  the  narrative  of  their  local  ef- 
fects on  one  of  the  principal  scenes  of  action.  But  it  would 
be  great  injustice  to  omit  the  statement,  that  circumstances 
existed,  which  palliate,  though  they  do  not  justify  the  con- 
duct of  those  who  took  up  arms  against  the  government  of 
their  own  establishment.  After  eight  years  of  war,  Massa- 
chusetts stood,  with  the  splendor  of  triumph,  in  republican 
poverty,  bankrupt  in  resources,  with  no  revenue  but  of  an 
expiring  currency,  and  no  metal  in  her  treasury  more  pre- 
cious than  the  continental  copper,  bearing  the  devices  of 
union  and  freedom.  The  country  had  been  drained  by  taxa- 
tion for  the  support  of  the  army  of  Independence,  to -the 
utmost  limit  of  its  means  ;  public  credit  was  extinct,  man- 
ners had  become  relaxed,  trade  decayed,  manufactures  lan- 
guishing, paper  money  depreciated  to  worthlessness,  claims 
on  the  nation  accumulated  by  the  commutation  of  the  pay 
of  officers  for  securities,  with  a  heavy  and  increasing  pres- 
sure of  debt  resting  on  Commonwealth,  corporations  and 
citizens.  The  first  reviving  efforts  of  commerce  overstocked 
the  markets  with  foreign  luxuries  and  superfluities,  sold  to 
those  who  trusted  to  the  future  to  supply  the  ability  of  pay- 


62 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


ment.  The  temporary  act  of  1782,  making  property  a  ten- 
der in  discharge  of  pecuniary  contracts,  instead  of  the  de- 
signed remedial  effect,  enhanced  the  evils  of  general  insol- 
vency, by  postponing  collections.  The  outlandish  demands 
of  the  royalist  refugees,  who  had  been  driven  from  large 
estates  and  extensive  business,  enforced  with  no  lenient  for- 
bearance, came  in  to  increase  the  embarrassments  of  the 
deferred  pay  day.  At  length,  a  flood  of  suits  broke  out. 
In  1784,  more  than  2000  actions  were  entered  in  the  County 
of  Worcester,  then  having  a  population  less  than  50,000, 
and  in  1785,  about  1,700.  Lands  and  goods  were  seized 
and  sacrificed  on  sale,  when  the  general  difficulties  drove 
away  purchasers.  Amid  the  universal  distress,  artful  and 
designing  persons  discerned  prospect  for  advancement,  and 
fomented  the  discontent  by  inflammatory  publications  and 
seditious  appeals  to  every  excitable  passion  and  prejudice. 
The  Constitution  was  misrepresented  as  defective,  the  ad- 
ministration as  corrupt,  the  laws  as  unequal  and  unjust. 
The  celebrated  papers  of  Honestus,  directed  jealousy  to- 
wards the  judicial  tribunals,  and  thundered  anathemas  against 
the  lawyers,  unfortunately  for  them,  the  immediate  agents 
and  ministers  of  creditors.  Driven  to  despair  by  the  actual 
evil  of  enormous  debt,  and  irritated  to  madness  by  the  in- 
creasing clamor  about  supposed  grievances,  it  is  scarcely 
surprising  that  a  suffering  and  deluded  people  should  have 
attempted  relief,  without  considering  that  the  misery  they 
endured,  was  the  necessary  result  from  the  confusion  of 
years  of  warfare* 


*  Could  we  roll  back  the  tide  of  time,  till  its  retiring  wave  left  bare  the 
rocks  on  which  the  Commonwealth  was  so  nearly  wrecked,  it  is  not  improba- 
ble we  should  discover,  that  a  loftier  and  more  dangerous  ambition,  and  wider, 
deeper  and  more  unhallowed  purposes  urged  on  and  sustained  the  men  who 
were  pushed  into  the  front  rank  of  rebellion,  than  came  from  the  limited  ca- 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


63 


Before  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  contest,  whose  pres- 
sure had  united  all  by  the  tie  of  common  danger,  indica- 
tions of  discontent  had  been  manifested.  The  acts  of  the 
Legislature  had  excited  temporary  and  local  uneasiness  in 
former  years,  as  the  operation  of  laws  conflicted  with  the 
views  of  expediency  or  interest  entertained  by  the  village 
politicians.  But  in  1782,  complaints  arose  of  grievances, 
springing  from  the  policy  and  administration  of  government, 
of  more  genial  character.  On  the  14th  of  April,  of  that 
year,  the  delegates  of  twenty-six  towns  of  the  county  as- 
sembled in  convention,  and  attributing  the  prevailing  dis- 
satisfaction of  the  people  to  want  of  confidence  in  the  dis- 
bursement of  the  great  sums  of  money  annually  assessed, 
recommended  instructions  to  the  representatives  to  require 
immediate  settlement  with  all  public  ofiicers  entrusted  with 
the  funds  of  the  Commonwealth ;  and  if  the  adjustment 
was  delayed  or  refused,  to  withdraw  from  the  General  Court, 
and  return  to  their  constituents :  to  reduce  the  compensa- 
tion of  the  members  of  the  House,  and  the  fees  of  lawyers  ; 
to  procure  sessions  of  the  €oart  of  Probate  in  different 
places  in  the  county ;  the  revival  of  confessions  of  debt ; 
enlargement  of  the  jurisdiction  of  justices  of  the  peace  to 
£20 — contribution  to  the  support  of  the  continental  army  in 
specific  articles  instead  of  money :  and  the  settlement  of 
accounts  between  the  Commonwealth  and  Congress.  At  an 
adjourned  session,  May  14th,  they  further  recommended, 

pacity  of  their  own  minds.  We  might  find  that  the  accredited  leaders  of 
178G,  were  only  humble  instruments  of  stronger  spirits,  waiting-  in  conceal- 
ment, the  results  of  the  tempest  they  had  roused.  Fortunately,  the  energy 
of  government,  gave  to  rising  revolution  the  harmless  character  of  crushed 
insurrection,  saved  to  after  years  the  inquiry  for  the  catalines  of  the  young 
republic,  and  left  to  us  the  happy  privilege  of  receiving  tlie  coin,  impressed 
with  the  mark  of  patriotism,  at  its  stamped  value,  without  testing  its  defi- 
ciency of  weight,  or  assaying  the  metal  to  determine  the  mixture  of  alloy. 


64 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


that  account  of  the  public  expenditures  should  be  annu- 
ally rendered  to  the  towns  ;  the  removal  of  the  General 
Court  from  Boston  ;  separation  of  the  business  of  the  Com- 
mon Pleas  and  Sessions,  and  inquiry  into  the  grants  of  lands 
in  Maine,  in  favor  of  Alexander  Shepherd  and  others. 

The  first  open  act  of  insurrection,  followed  close  upon 
the  adjournment  of  the  convention  held  at  Leicester,  in  Au- 
gust. Although  warning  of  danger  had  been  given,  con- 
fiding in  the  loyalty  of  the  people,  their  love  of  order,  and 
respect  for  the  laws,  the  officers  of  government  had  made 
no  preparations  to  support  the  Court  to  be  held  in  Worcester, 
in  September,  1786.  On  Monday  night  of  the  first  week 
in  that  month,  a  body  of  eighty  armed  men,  under  Captain 
Adam  Wheeler,  of  Hubbardston,  entered  the  town  and  took 
possession  of  the  Court  House.  Early  the  next  morning 
their  numbers  were  augmented  to  nearly  one  hundred,  and 
as  many  more  collected  without  fire-arms.  The  Judges  of 
the  Common  Pleas  had  assembled  at  the  house  of  the  Hon. 
Joseph  Allen.  At  the  usual  hour,  with  the  Justices  of  the 
Sessions,  and  the  members  of  the  bar,  attended  by  the  clerk 
and  sheriff",  they  moved  towards  the  Court  House.  Chief 
Justice  Artemas  Ward,  a  Greneral  of  the  Revolution,  united 
intrepid  firmness  with  prudent  moderation.  His  resolute 
and  manly  bearing  on  that  day  of  difficulty  and  embarrass- 
ment, sustained  the  dignity  of  the  office  he  bore,  and  com- 
manded the  respect  even  of  his  opponents.  On  him  de- 
volved the  responsibility  of  an  occasion  affecting  deeply  the 
future  peace  of  the  community,  and  it  was  supported  well 
and  ably. 

On  the  verge  of  the  crowd  thronging  the  hill,  a  sentinel 
was  pacing  on  his  round,  who  challenged  the  procession  as 
it  approached  his   post.     Gen.   Ward  sternly  ordered  the 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


65 


soldier,  formerly  a  subaltern  of  his  own  particular  regiment, 
to  recover  his  levelled  musket.  The  man,  awed  by  the  voice 
he  had  been  accustomed  to  obey,  instantly  complied,  and 
presented  his  piece,  in  military  salute,  to  his  old  commander. 
The  Court,  having  received  the  honors  of  war,  from  him 
who  was  planted  to  oppose  their  advance,  went  on.  The 
multitude  receding  to  the  right  and  left,  made  way  in  sullen 
silence,  till  the  judicial  officers  reached  the  Court  House. 
On  the  steps  was  stationed  a  file  of  men  with  fixed  bayonets : 
on  the  front,  stood  Capt.  Wheeler  with  his  drawn  sword. 
The  crier  was  directed  to  open  the  doors,  and  permitted  to 
throw  them  back  displaying  a  party  of  infantry  with  their 
guns  levelled  as  if  ready  to  fire.  Judge  Ward  then  ad- 
vanced and  the  bayonets  were  turned  against  his  breast.  He 
demanded  repeatedly,  who  commanded  the  people  there; 
by  what  authority,  and  for  what  purpose  they  had  met  in 
hostile  array.  Wheeler  at  length  replied  ;  after  disclaiming 
the  rank  of  leader,  he  stated,  that  he  had  come  to  relieve 
the  distresses  of  the  country,  by  preventing  the  sittings  of 
courts  until  they  could  obtain  redress  of  grievances.  The 
Chief  Justice  answered  that  he  would  satisfy  them  their  com- 
plaints were  without  just  foundation.  He  was  told  by  Capt. 
Smith  of  Barre,  that  any  communication  he  had  to  make 
must  be  reduced  to  writing.  Judge  Ward  indignantly  re- 
fused to  do  this  :  he  said  he  "  did  not  value  their  bayonets, 
they  might  plunge  them  to  his  heart ;  but  while  that  heart 
beat  he  would  do  his  duty  :  when  opposed  to  it,  his  life  was 
of  little  consequence  :  if  they  would  take  away  their  bayo- 
nets and  give  him  some  position  where  he  could  be  heard 
by  his  fellow  citizens,  and  not  by  the  leaders  alone,  who  had 
deceived  and  deluded  them,  he  would  speak,  but  not  other- 
wise."    The  insurgent  ofiicers,  fearful  of  the   effect  of  his 


66 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


determined  maniaer  on  the  minds  of  their  followers,  inter- 
rupted. They  did  not  come  there,  they  said,  to  listen  to  long 
speeches,  but  to  resist  oppression :  they  had  the  power  to 
compel  submission :  and  they  demanded  an  adjournment 
without  day.  Judge  Ward  peremptorily  refused  to  an- 
swer any  proposition,  unless  it  was  accompanied  by  the 
name  of  him  by  whom  it  was  made.  They  then  desired 
him  to  fall  back  :  the  drum  was  beat  and  the  guard  ordered 
to  charge.  The  soldiers  advanced  until  the  points  of  their 
bayonets  pressed  hard  upon  the  breast  of  the  Chief  Justice, 
who  stood  as  immovable  as  a  statue,  without  stirring  a  limb, 
or  yielding  an  inch,  although  the  steel  in  the  hands  of  des- 
perate men  penetrated  his  dress.  Struck  with  admiration 
by  his  intrepidity,  and  shrinking  from  the  sacrii&ce  of  life, 
the  guns  were  removed  and  Judge  Ward  ascending  the  steps 
addressed  the  assembly.  In  a  style  of  clear  and  forcible 
argument  he  examined  their  supposed  grievances  ;  exposed 
their  fallacy ;  explained  the  dangerous  tendency  of  their 
rash  measures  ;  admonished  them  that  they  were  placing  in 
peril  the  liberty  acquired  by  the  efforts  and  sufferings  of 
years,  plunging  the  country  in  civil  war  and  involving  them- 
selves and  their  families  in  misery  :  that  the  measures  they 
had  taken  must  defeat  their  own  wishes ;  for  the  government 
would  never  yield  that  to  force,  which  would  be  readily  ac- 
corded to  respectful  representations  :  and  warned  them  that 
the  majesty  of  the  laws  would  be  vindicated,  and  their  re- 
sistance of  its  power  avenged.  He  spoke  nearly  two  hours, 
not  without  frequent  interruption.  But  admonition  and 
argument  were  unavailing :  the  insurgents  declared  they 
would  maintain  their  ground  until  satisfaction  was  obtained. 
Judge  Ward,  addressing  himself  to  Wheeler,  advised  him 
to  suffer  the  troops   to   disperse:   "they  were  waging  war, 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


67 


which  was  treason,  and  its  end  would  be,"  he  added,  after 
a  momentary  pause,  "the  gallows."  The  judge  then  re- 
tired, unmolested,  through  armed  files.  Soon  after,  the 
Court  was  opened  at  the  United  States  Arms  Tavern,  and 
immediately  adjourned  to  the  next  day.  Orders  were  then 
dispatched  to  the  colonels  in  the  brigade  to  call  out  their 
regiments,  and  march  without  a  moment's  delay,  to  sustain 
the  judicial  tribunals  :  but  that  right  arm  on  which  the  gov- 
ernment rests  for  defence  was  paralyzed :  in  this  hour  of 
its  utmost  need,  the  militia  shared  in  the  disaffection,  and 
the  officers  reported,  that  it  was  out  of  their  power  to  mus- 
ter their  companies,  because  they  generally  favored  those 
movements  of  the  people  directed  against  the  highest  civil 
institutions  of  the  State,  and  tending  to  the  subversion  of 
social  order. 

In  the  afternoon  of  Tuesday,  a  petition  was  presented 
from  Athol,  requesting  that  no  judgments  should  be  rendered 
in  civil  actions,  except  where  debts  would  be  lost  by  delay, 
and  no  trials  had  unless  with  the  consent  of  the  parties  ;  a 
course  corresponding  with  the  views  entertained  by  the  Court. 
Soon  after,  Capt.  Smith,  of  Barre,  unceremoniously  intro- 
duced himself  to  the  judges,  with  his  sword  drawn,  and  of- 
fered a  paper  purporting  to  be  the  petition  of  "  the  body  of 
people  now  collected  for  their  own  good  and  that  of  the 
Commonwealth,"  requiring  an  adjournment  of  the  Courts 
without  day.  He  demanded,  in  a  threatening  manner,  an 
answer  in  half  an  hour.  Judge  Ward,  with  great  dignity 
replied,  that  no  answer  would  be  given,  and  the  intruder 
retired.  An  interview  was  solicited,  during  the  evening,  by 
a  committee,  who  were  informed  that  the  officers  of  govern- 
ment would  make  no  promises  to  men  in  hostile  array :  an 
intimation  was  given  that  the  request  of  the  people  of  Athol 


68 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


was  considered  reasonable  :  and  the  conference  terminated. 
A  report  of  the  result  was  made  to  the  insurgents,  who 
voted  it  was  unsatisfactory,  and  resolved  to  remain  until  the 
following  day. 

During  the  night,  the  Court  House  was  guarded  in  mar- 
tial form :  sentinels  were  posted  along  in  front  of  the  build- 
ing, and  along  Main  street :  the  men  not  on  duty,  bivouaced 
in  the  hall  of  justice,  or  sought  shelter  with  their  friends. 
In  the  first  light  of  morning,  the  whole  force  paraded  on 
the  hill,  and  was  harrangued  by  the  leaders.  In  the  fore- 
noon a  new  deputation  waited  on  the  Court,  with  a  repeti- 
tion of  the  former  demand,  and  received  a  similar  reply. 
The  justices  assured  the  committee,  if  the  body  dispersed, 
the  people  of  the  county  would  have  no  just  cause  of  com- 
plaint with  the  course  the  Court  would  adopt.  The  insur- 
gents, reinforced  with  about  two  hundred  from  Holden  and 
Ward,  now  mustered  four  hundred  strong,  half  with  fire 
arms,  and  the  remainder  furnished  with  sticks.  They  formed 
in  column  and  marched  through  Main  street  with  their  music, 
inviting  all  who  sought  relief  from  oppression  to  join  their 
ranks,  but  receiving  no  accessions  of  recruits  from  the  citi- 
zens, they  returned  to  the  Court  House.  Sprigs  of  ever- 
green had  been  distributed,  and  mounted  as  the  distinctive 
badge  of  rebellion,  and  a  young  pine  tree  was  elevated  at 
their  post  as  the  standard  of  revolt. 

The  Court,  at  length,  finding  that  no  reliance  could  be 
placed  on  military  support,  and  no  hope  entertained  of  being 
permitted  to  proceed  with  business,  adjourned,  continuing 
all  cases  to  the  next  term.  Proclamation  was  made  by  the 
sheriff  to  the  people,  and  a  copy  of  the  record  communicated. 
After  this,  about  two  hundred  men,  with  sticks  only,  paraded 
before  the  house  of  Mr.   Allen,  where  the  justices  had  re- 


TOWN  HISTOKY. 


69 


tired,  and  halted  nearly  an  hour,  as  if  meditating  some  act 
of  violence.  The  main  body  then  marched  down,  and  pass- 
ing through  the  other  party,  whose  open  ranks  closed  after 
them,  the  whole  moved  to  the  common,  where  they  displayed 
into  a  line,  and  sent  another  committee  to  the  Court. 

The  sessions,  considering  their  deliberations  controlled 
by  the  mob,  deemed  it  expedient  to  follow  the  example  of 
the  superior  tribunal,  by  an  adjournment  to  the  21st  of  No- 
vember. When  the  insurgent  adjutant  presented  a  paper, 
requiring  it  should  be  without  fixed  day ;  Judge  Ward  re- 
plied, the  business  was  finished  and  could  not  be  changed. 

Before  night  closed  down,  the  Regulators,  as  they  styled 
themselves,  dispersed ;  and  thus  terminated  the  first  inter- 
ference of  the  citizens  in  arms  with  the  court  of  justice. 
Whatever  fears  might  have  been  entertained  of  future  dis- 
astrous consequences,  their  visit  brought  with  it  no  terror, 
and  no  apprehension  for  personal  safety  to  their  opposers. 
Both  parties,  indeed,  seemed  more  inclined  to  hear  than 
strike.  The  conduct  of  Judge  Ward  was  dignified  and 
spirited,  in  a  situation  of  great  embarrassment.  His  own 
deprecation,  that  the  sun  might  not  shine  on  the  day  when 
the  Constitution  was  trampled  on  with  impunity,  seemed  to 
be  realized.  Clouds,  darkness  and  storm  brooded  o^'er  the 
meeting  of  the  insurgents,  and  rested  on  their  tumultuary 
assemblies  in  the  county  at  subsequent  periods. 

The  state  of  feeling  was  unfavorably  influenced  by  the 
success  of  the  insurgents.  At  a  meeting  of  the  inhabitants 
on  the  25th  of  September,  delegates  were  elected  to  the 
county  convention  at  Paxton,  with  instructions  to  report 
their 'doings  to  the  town.  The  list  of  grievances  received 
some  slight  additions  from  this  assembly.  The  delay  and 
expense  of  Courts  of  Probate,  the  manner  of  recording 

7 


70 


TOWX  HISTORY. 


deeds  in  one  general  office  of  registry,  instead  of  entering 
them  on  the  books  of  the  town  where  the  Land  was  situated, 
and  the  right  of  absentees  to  sue  for  the  collection  of  debts, 
were  the  subjects  of  complaint  in  a  petition,  concluding  with 
the  request  that  precepts  might  be  issued  for  meetings,  to 
express  public  sentiment  in  relation  to  a  revision  of  the 
Constitution,  and  if  two-thirds  of  the  qualified  voters  were 
in  favor  of  amendment,  that  a  State  convention  might  be 
called.  The  existence  of  this  body  was  continued  by  an 
adjournment  to  Worcester.  The  petition  was  immediately 
forwarded  to  the  General  Court.  A  copy  was  subsequently 
submitted  to  the  town,  at  a  meeting  held  October  2nd,  for 
the  purpose  of  receiving  a  report  from  the  delegates.  It 
was  then  voted,  "That  Mr.  Daniel  Baird  be  requested  to 
inform  the  town  whether  this  petition  was  according  to  his 
mind,  and  he  informed  the  town  it  was ;  but  that  he  did  not 
approve  of  its  being  sent  to  the  General  Court  until  it  had 
been  laid  before  the  town."  The  petition  was  read  para- 
graph by  paragraph,  rejected,  and  the  delegates  dismissed. 

On  the  16th  of  October,  in  compliance  with  the  request 
of  34  freeholders,  another  town  meeting  was  called :  after 
a  long  and  warm  debate,  the  former  delegates  were  re-elected 
to  attend  the  convention,  at  its  adjourned  session.  A  peti- 
tion had  been  offered,  praying  consideration  of  the  measures 
proper  in  the  alarming  situation  of  the  country,  and  for  in- 
structions to  the  representative  to  inquire  into  the  expendi- 
ture of  public  money,  the  salaries  of  officers,  the  means  of 
increasing  manufactures,  encouraging  agriculture,  introduc- 
ing economy,  and  removing  every  grievance.  Directions 
were  given  to  endeavor  to  procure  the  removal  of  the  Leg- 
islature from  the  metropolis  to  the  interior  ;  the  annihilation 
of  the  Inferior  Courts ;  the  substitution  of  a  cheaper  and 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


71 


more  expeditious  administration  of  justice ;  the  immediate 
repeal  of  the  supplementary  fund  granted  to  Congress  ;  the 
appropriation  of  the  revenue,  arising  from  impost  and  ex- 
cise, to  the  payment  of  the  foreign  debt ;  and  the  withhold- 
ing all  supplies  from  Congress  until  settlement  of  account 
between  the  Commonwealth  and  Continent.  Resolutions, 
introduced  by  the  supporters  of  government,  expressing 
disapprobation  of  unconstitutional  assemblies,  armed  com- 
binations, and  riotous  movements,  and  pointing  to  the  Leg- 
islature as  the  only  legitimate  source  of  redress,  were  re- 
jected. The  convention  party  was  triumphant  by  a  small 
majority.  While  the  discussion  was  uged,  a  considerate 
citizen  inquired  of  one  of  the  most  zealous  of  the  discon- 
tented, what  grievances  he  suffered,  and  what  were  the  prin- 
cipal evils  among  them?  "There  are  grievances  enough, 
thank  God  !"  was  the  hasty  reply,  "  and  they  are  all  princi- 
pal ones." 

The  jurisdiction  of  the  sessions  was  principally  over  crimi- 
nal offences,  and  its  powers  were  exercised  for  the  preser- 
vation of  social  order.  No  opposition  had  been  anticipated 
to  its  session  on  the  21st  of  November,  and  no  defensive 
preparations  were  made.  On  that  day,  about  sixty  armed 
men,  under  Abraham  Gale,  of  Princeton,  entered  the  north 
part  of  the  town.  During  the  evening,  and  on  "Wednesday 
morning,  about  one  hundred  more  arrived  from  Hubbards- 
ton,  Shrewsbury,  and  some  adjacent  towns.  A  committee 
presented  a  petition  to  the  Court,  at  the  United  States  Arms 
Tavern,  for  their  adjournment,  until  a  new  choice  of  repre- 
sentatives, which  was  not  received.  The  insurgents  then 
took  -possession  of  the  ground  around  the  Court  House. 
When  the  justices  approached,  the  armed  men  made  way, 
and  they  passed  the  open  ranks  to  the  steps.     There,  triple 


72 


TOWN  HISTORY, 


rows  of  bayonets  presented  to  their  breasts,  opposed  farther 
advance.  The  Sheriff,  Col.  William  Greenleaf,  of  Lancas- 
ter, addressed  the  assembled  crowd,  stating  the  danger  to 
themselves  and  the  public  from  their  lawless  measures. 
Reasoning  and  warning  were  ineffectual,  and  the  proclama- 
tion in  the  riot  act  was  read  for  their  dispersion.  Amid  the 
grave  solemnity  of  the  scene,  some  incidents  were  interposed 
of  lighter  character.  Col.  Greenleaf  remarked  with  great 
severity  on  the  conduct  of  the  armed  party  around  him. 
One  of  the  leaders  replied,  they  sought  relief  from  griev- 
ances :  that  among  the  most  intolerable  of  them  was  the 
sheriff  himself:  and  next  to  his  person,  were  his  fees,  which 
were  exorbitant  and  excessive,  particularly  on  criminal  exe- 
cutions. "  If  you  consider  fees  for  executions  oppressive," 
replied  the  sheriff,  irritated  by  the  attack,  "you  need  not 
wait  Iftng  for  redress  ;  for  I  will  hang  you  all,  gentlemen, 
for  nothing,  with  the  greatest  pleasure."  Some  hand  among 
the  crowd,  which  pressed  close,  placed  a  pine  branch  en  his 
hat,  and  the  county  ofl&cer  retired  with  the  justices,  decorated 
with  the  evergreen  badge  of  rebellion.  The  clerk  entered 
on  his  records,  that  the  court  was  prevented  from  being  held 
by  an  armed  force,  the  only  notice  contained  on  their  pages 
that  our  soil  has  ever  been  dishonored  by  resistance  of  the 


To  this  period  the  indulgence  of  government  had  dealt 
with  its  revolted  subjects  as  misguided  citizens,  seduced  to 
acts  of  violence  from  misconception  of  the  sources  of  their 
distress.  Conciliatory  policy  had  applied  remedial  statutes 
wherever  practicable,  and  proffered  full  pardon  and  indem- 
nity for  past  misconduct.  Reasonable  hopes  were  enter- 
tained that  disaffection,  quieted  by  lenient  measures,  would 
lay  down  the  arms  assumed  under  strong  excitement,  and 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


73 


that  reviving  order  would  rise  from  the  confusion.  But  the 
insurgents,  animated  by  temporary  success,  and  mistaking 
the  mildness  of  forbearance  for  weakness  or  fear,  had  ex- 
tended their  designs  from  present  relief  to  permanent  change. 
Their  early  movements  were  without  further  object  than  to 
stay  that  flood  of  executions  which  wasted  their  property 
and  made  their  homes  desolate.  That  portion  of  the  com- 
munity, who  condemned  the  violence  of  the  actors  in  the 
scenes  we  have  described,  sympathized  in  their  sufferings, 
and  were  disposed  to  consider  the  offences  venial,  while  the 
professed  purpose  of  their  commission  was  merely  to  obtain 
the  delay  necessary  for  seeking  constitutional  redress.  All 
implicated,  stood  on  safe  and  honorable  ground,  until  the 
renewal  on  the  2 1st  of  November,  of  the  opposition  to 
the  administration  of  justice.  Defiance  of  the  authority  of 
the  State  could  no  longer  be  tolerated  without  the  prostra- 
tion of  its  institutions.  The  crisis  had  arrived,  when  gov- 
ernment, driven  to  the  utmost  limit  of  concession,  must  ap- 
peal to  the  sword  for  preservation,  even  though  its  destroy- 
ing edge,  turned  on  the  citizen,  might  be  crimsoned  with 
civil  slaughter.  Information  was  communicated  to  the  execu- 
tive of  extensive  levies  of  troops  for  the  suppression  of  the 
judiciary,  and  the  coercion  of  the  Legislature.  Great  exer- 
tions were  making  to  prevent  the  approaching  session  of  the 
Court  of  Common  Pleas  in  Worcester,  on  the  first  week  of 
December.  Gov.  Bowdoin  and  the  council,  resolved  to 
adopt  vigorous  measures  to  overawe  the  insurgents.  Or- 
ders were  issued  to  Major  General  Warner,  to  call  out  the 
militia  of  his  division,  and  five  regiments  were  directed  to 
hold  -themselves  in  instant  readiness  to  march.  Doubts, 
however,  arose,  how  far  reliance  could  be  placed  on  the 
troops  of  an  infected  district.     The  sheriff  reported,  that  a 

7* 


74 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


sufficient  force  could  not  be  collected.  The  first  instructions 
were  therefore  countermanded,  a  plan  having  been  settled 
to  raise  an  army  whose  power  might  efi"ectually  crush  resis- 
tance ;  and  the  Judges  were  advised  to  adjourn  to  the  23d 
of  January  following,  when  the  contemplated  arrangements 
could  be  matured,  to  terminate  the  unhappy  troubles. 

The  insurgents  unapprised  of  the  change  of  operations, 
began  to  concentrate  their  whole  strength  to  interrupt  the 
Courts  at  Worcester  and  Concord.  They  had  fixed  on 
Shrewsbury  as  the  place  of  rendezvous.  On  the  29th  of 
November,  a  party  of  forty  from  Barre,  Spencer  and  Leices- 
ter, joined  Capt.  Wheeler,  who  had  established  his  head 
quarters  in  that  town  during  the  preceding  week,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  enlisting  about  thirty  men.  Daniel  Shays,  the 
reputed  commander-in-chief,  and  nominal  head  of  the  re- 
bellion, made  his  first  public  appearance  in  the  county  soon 
after,  with  troops  from  Hampshire.  Reinforcements  came  in, 
till  the  number  at  the  post  exceeded  four  hundred.  Senti- 
nels stopped  and  examined  travelers,  and  patrols  were  sent 
out  towards  Concord,  Cambridge  and  Worcester.  On  Thurs- 
day, November  30th,  information  was  received  that  the  Light 
Horse,  under  Col.  Hitchborn,  had  captured  Shattuck,  Par- 
ker and  Paige,  and  that  a  detachment  of  cavalry  was  march- 
ing against  themselves.  This  intelligence  disconcerted  their 
arrangements  for  an  expedition  into  Middlesex,  and  they 
retreated  in  great  alarm  to  Holden.  On  Friday,  Wheeler 
was  in  a  house  passed  by  the  horsemen,  and  only  escaped 
being  captured,  by  accident.  Another  person,  supposed  to 
be  the  commander,  was  pursued,  and  received  a  sabre  cut  in 
the  hand.  The  blow  was  slight,  but  aff'orded  sufficient 
foundation  for  raising  the  cry  that  blood  had  been  shed,  and 
rousing  passion  to  vengeance.     The  wounded  insurgent  was 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


75 


exhibited  and  bewailed  as  the  martyr  of  their  cause.  As 
the  Light  Horse  retired,  it  was  discovered  they  did  not  ex- 
ceed twenty.  About  a  hundred  of  Shays'  men  rallied,  and 
returned  to  Shrewsbury,  following  a  foe  whose  celerity  of 
movement  left  no  cause  to  fear  they  could  be  brought  to  an 
encounter.  Search  was  made  for  the  town  stock  of  powder, 
removed  by  the  vigilance  of  one  of  the  Selectmen,  Col. 
Gushing,  whose  house  they  surrounded,  and  whose  person 
they  endeavored  to  seize,  but  he  escaped.  Consultation  was 
held  on  the  expediency  of  marching  directly  to  Worcester, 
and  encamping  before  the  Court  House.  Without  clothing 
to  protect  them  from  cold,  without  money,  or  food  to  supply 
the  wants  of  hunger,  it  was  considered  impracticable  to 
maintain  themselves  there,  and  on  Saturday  they  marched 
to  G-rafton  and  went  into  quarters  with  their  friends. 

The  party  left  at  Holden,  found  one  object  of  their  meet- 
ing, the  junction  with  the  insurgents  at  Concord,  frustrated. 
Those  who  belonged  to  the  neighboring  towns  were  there- 
fore dismissed,  with  orders  to  assemble  in  Worcester  on 
Monday  following.  Shays  retired  to  the  barracks  in  Rutland, 
and  sent  messengers  to  hasten  on  the  parties  from  Berkshire 
and  Hampshire,  in  anticipation  of  meeting  the  militia  of 
government  at  Worcester. 

On  Sunday  evening,  the  detachment  from  Glrafton  entered 
the  town,  under  the  command  of  Abraham  Gale,  of  Prince- 
ton, Adam  Wheeler,  of  Hubbardston,  Simeon  Hazeltine,  of 
Hardwick,  and  John  Williams,  reputed  to  be  a  deserter  from 
the  British  army,  and  once  a  sergeant  of  the  continental 
line.  They  halted  before  the  Court  House,  and  having  ob- 
tained the  keyes,  placed  a  strong  guard  around  the  building, 
and  posted  sentinels  on  all  the  streets  and  avenues  of  the 
town  to  prevent  surprise.     Those  who  were  off  duty,  rolling 


76 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


themselves  in  their  bhmkets,  rested  on  their  arms,  on  the 
floor  of  the  Court  room. 

As  the  evening  closed  in,  one  of  the  most  furious  snow 
storms  of  a  severe  winter  commenced.  One  division  of  the 
insurgents  occupied  the  Court  House :  another  sought  shel- 
ter at  the  Hancock  Arms.  The  sentinels,  chilled  by  the 
tempest,  and  imagining  themselves  secured  by  its  violence 
from  attack,  joined  their  comrades  around  the  fire  of  the 
guard  room.  The  young  men  of  the  town,  in  the  spirit  of 
sportive  mischief,  contrived  to  carry  away  their  muskets, 
incautiously  stacked  in  the  entry-way,  and  having  secreted 
them  at  a  distance,  raised  the  alarm  that  the  Light  Horse 
was  upon  them.  The  party  sallied  out  in  confusion,  and 
panic  struck  at  the  silent  disappearance  of  their  arms,  fled 
through  the  fast  falling  snow  to  the  Court  House,  where 
their  associates  had  paraded.  The  guns  were  discovered  at 
length,  and  the  whole  force  remained  ready  for  action  several 
hours,  frequently  disturbed  by  the  fresh  outcries  of  their 
vexatious  persecutors. 

The  increasing  fury  of  the  storm,  and  the  almost  impas- 
sable condition  of  the  roads,  did  not  prevent  the  arrival  of 
many  from  Holden  and  the  vicinity,  on  Tuesday,  swelling 
the  numerical  force  of  malcontents  to  five  hundred.  The 
Court  was  opened  at  the  Sun  Tavern,^'  and  in  conformity 
with  the  instructions  of  the  Grovernor,  adjourned  to  the  23d 
of  January,  without  attempting  to  transact  business.  Peti- 
tions from  committees  from  Sutton  and  Douglas,  that  the 
next  session  might  be  postponed  to  March,  were  disregarded. 

Worcester  assumed  the  appearance  of  a  garrisoned  town. 
The  citizens  answered  to  the  frequent  challenges  of  military 
guards :  the  traveler  was  admonished  to  stay  his  steps  by 

*  United  States  Hotel,  1836. 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


77 


the  voice  and  bayonet  of  the  soldier.  Sentries  paced  before 
the  house  of  Mr.  Allen,  the  clerk,  where  Judge  Ward  re- 
sided, and  the  former  gentleman  was  threatened  with  vio- 
lence on  his  own  threshhold.  Justice  Washburn,  of  Leices- 
ter, was  opposed  on  his  way,  and  two  of  his  friends,  who 
seized  the  gun  presented  to  his  breast,  were  arrested  and 
detained  in  custody.  Justice  Baker,  on  his  return  home- 
ward was  apprehended  in  the  road,  and  some  of  his  captors 
suggested  the  propriety  of  sending  him  to  prison,  to  expe- 
rience the  corrective  discipline,  to  which,  as  a  magistrate, 
he  had  subjected  others. 

On  Tuesday  evening,  a  council  of  war  was  convened,  and 
it  was  seriously  determined  to  march  to  Boston,  and  effect 
the  liberation  of  the  State  prisoners  as  soon  as  sufficient 
strength  could  be  collected.  In  anticipation  of  attack,  the 
Governor  gathered  the  means  of  defence  around  the  me- 
tropolis. Guards  were  mounted  at  the  prison,  and  at  the 
entrances  of  the  city  :  alarm  posts  ".vere  assigned  ;  and  Major 
General  Brooks  held  the  militia  of  Middlesex  contiguous  to 
the  road,  in  readiness  for  action,  and  watched  the  force  at 
Worcester. 

During  the  evening  of  Tuesday,  an  alarm  broke  out,  more 
terrific  to  the  party  quartered  at  the  Hancock  Arms,  than 
that  which  had  disturbed  the  repose  of  the  preceding  night. 
Soon  after  partaking  the  refreshment  which  was  sometimes 
used  by  the  military,  before  the  institution  of  temperance 
societies,  several  of  the  men  were  seized  with  violent  sick- 
ness, and  a  rumor  spread,  that  poison  had  been  mingled  with 
the  fountain  which  supplied  their  water.  Dr.  Samuel  Stearns, 
of  Paxton,  astrologer,  almanac  manufacturer,  and  quack  by 
profession,  detected  in  the  sediment  of  the  cups  they  had 
drained,  a  substance,  which  he  unhesitatingly  pronounced  to 


78 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


be  a  compound  of  arsenic  and  antimony,  so  deleterious  that 
a  single  grain  would  extinguish  the  lives  of  a  thousand.  The 
numbers  of  the  afflicted  increased  with  frightful  rapidity, 
and  the  symptoms  grew  more  fearful.  It  was  suddenly 
recollected  that  the  suo-ar  used  in  their  beverao-e  had  been 
purchased  from  a  respectable  merchant  of  the  town,"^''  whose 
attachment  to  government  was  well  known,  and  the  sickness 
around  was  deemed  proof  conclusive  that  it  had  been  adul- 
terated for  their  destruction.  A  file  of  soldiers  seized  the 
seller,  and  brought  him  to  answer  for  the  supposed  attempt 
to  murder  the  levies  of  rebellion.  As  he  entered  the  house, 
the  cry  of  indignation  rose  strong.  Fortunately  for  his  safe- 
ty. Dr.  Green,  of  Ward,  an  intelligent  practitioner  of  medi- 
cine, arrived,  and  the  execution  of  vengeance  was  deferred 
until  his  opinion  of  its  propriety  could  be  obtained.  After 
careful  inspection  of  the  suspected  substance,  and  subject- 
ing it  to  the  test  of  diiferent  senses,  he  declared,  that  to  the 
best  of  his  knowledge,  it  was  genuine,  yellow,  Scotch  snuff. 
The  reputed  dying  raised  their  heads  from  the  floor :  the 
slightly  affected  recovered :  the  gloom  which  had  settled 
heavily  on  the  supposed  victims  of  mortal  disease  was  dis- 
pelled, and  the  illness  soon  vanished.  Strict  inquiry  fur- 
nished a  reasonable  explanation  :  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  the 
merchant  had  opened  a  package  of  the  fragrant  commodity 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  sugar  barrel,  and  a  portion  of  the 
odoriferous  leaf,  had,  inadvertently  been  scattered  from  the 
counter  into  its  uncovered  head.  A  keg  of  spirit  was  ac- 
cepted in  full  satisfaction  for  the  panic  occasioned  by  the 
decoction  of  tobacco  so  innocently  administered. 

Bodies  of  militia,  anxious  to   testify  their  reviving  zeal, 
were  toiling  through  the  deep  snow  drifts.     G-en.  Warner, 

*  The  late  Daniel  Waldo,  (Sen.)  Esq. 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


79 


finding  that  no  benefit  could  be  derived  from  their  presence, 
sent  orders  for  their  return  to  their  homes,  and  the  insur- 
gents enjoyed  the  triumph  of  holding  undisputed  posses- 
sion of  the  town. 

On  Wednesday,  December  6th,  they  went  out  to  meet 
Shays,  who  arrived  from  Rutland  with  350  men.  As  they 
re-entered  the  street  the  appearance  of  the  column  of  800 
was  highly  imposing.  The  companies  included  many  who 
had  learned  their  tactics  from  Steuben,  and  served  an  ap- 
prenticeship of  discipline  in  the  ranks  of  the  Revolution :  war- 
worn veterans,  who  in  a  good  cause  would  have  been  invinci- 
ble. The  pine  tuft  supplied  the  place  of  plume  in  their  hats. 
Shays,  with  his  aid,  mounted  on  white  horses,  led  on  the  van. 
They  displayed  into  line  before  the  Court  House,  where  they 
were  reviewed  and  inspected.  The  men  were  then  billeted 
on  the  inhabitants.  No  compulsion  was  used  :  where  ad- 
mittance was  peremptorily  refused,  they  quietly  retired,  and 
sought  food  and  shelter  elsewhere.  Provision  having  been 
made  for  the  soldiers,  Shays  joined  the  other  leaders  in  coun- 
cil. At  night,  he  was  attended  to  his  quarters,  at  the  house 
of  the  late  Col.  Samuel  Flagg,  by  a  strong  guard,  preceded 
by  the  music  of  the  army,  with  something  of  the  state  as- 
sumed by  a  general  officer.  Precautions  against  surprise 
were  redoubled.  Chains  of  sentinels  were  stretched  along 
the  streets,  planted  in  every  avenue  of  approach,  and  on 
the  neighboring  hills,  examining  all  who  passed.  The  cry 
of  "  all 's  well,"  rose  on  the  watches  of  the  night,  from  those 
whose  presence  brought  danger  to  the  Commonwealth. 

Committees  from  some  of  the  neighboring  towns,  and 
many  of  the  prominent  members  of  the  conventions,  assem- 
bled with  the  military  leaders,  on  Thursday,  the  6th  of  De- 
cember.   Their  deliberations  were  perplexed  and  discordant. 


80 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


The  inclemency  of  the  weather  had  prevented  the  arrival  of 
the  large  force  expected.  The  impossibility  of  retaining 
the  men  who  had  assembled  without  munitions,  subsistence, 
or  stores,  compelled  them  to  abandon  the  meditated  attack 
on  Boston,  then  put  in  a  posture  of  defence,  and  more  pacific 
measures  were  finally  adopted.  A  petition  was  prepared 
for  circulation,  remonstrating  against  the  suspension  of  the 
habeas  corpus  writ ;  asking  for  the  pardon  and  release  of 
the  prisoners  ;  anew  act  of  amnesty;  the  adjournment  of 
Courts  until  the  session  of  the  new  Legislature  in  May  ;  and 
expressing  their  readiness  to  lay  down  their  arms  on  conpli- 
ance  with  these  demands.  In  the  afternoon.  Shays'  men 
and  part  of  Wheeler's,  to  the  number  of  five  hundred,  began 
their  march  for  Paxton,  on  their  way  to  the  barracks  in 
Kutland.  About  a  hundred  more  retired  to  the  north  part 
of  the  town. 

Friday  was  spent  in  consultation.  Aware  that  public 
sentiment  was  setting  against  them  with  strong  re-action, 
the  mercy  which  had  been  rejected  was  now  supplicated. 
Letters  were  addressed  to  each  town  of  the  county,  inviting 
the  inhabitants  to  unite  in  their  petitions.  Shays  himself, 
in  a  private  conference  with  an  acquaintance,  made  use  of 
these  expressions.  "  For  God's  sake,  have  matters  settled 
peaceably ;  it  was  against  my  inclinations  I  undertook  this 
business  ;  importunity  was  used  which  I  could  not  withstand  ; 
but  I  heartily  wish  it  was  well  over." 

In  the  evening,  the  Court  House  was  abandoned,  but  the 
sentries  were  posted  at  almost  every  door  of  the  outside 
and  interior  of  the  public  house,  where  the  leaders  remained 
in  consultation. 

Another  snow  storm  commenced  on  Saturday  morning. 
Luke  Day,  with  150  men  from  Hampshire,  reached  Leices- 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


81 


ter,  but  was  unable  to  proceed  in  the  tempest.  About  noon, 
all  the  insurgents  in  Worcester  paraded  before  their  head 
quarters,  and  were  dismissed.  The  companies  of  Ward, 
Holden,  Spencer,  Rutland,  Barre,  and  Petersham,  after 
moving  slowly  through  Main  street  in  distinct  bodies,  took 
up  the  line  of  march  for  their  respective  homes,  through 
roads  choked  with  drifts. 

The  condition  of  these  deluded  men  during  their  stay- 
here,  was  such  as  to  excite  compassion  rather  than  fear. 
Destitute  of  almost  every  necessary  of  life,  in  an  inclement 
season,  without  money  to  purchase  food  which  their  friends 
could  not  supply,  unwelcome  guests  in  the  quarters  they 
occupied,  pride  restrained  the  exposure  of  their  wants. 
Many  must  have  endured  the  gnawings  of  hunger  in  our 
streets  :  yet  standing  with  arms  in  their  hands,  enduring 
privations  in  the  midst  of  plenty,  they  took  nothing  by  force, 
and  trespassed  on  no  man's  rights  by  violence  :  some  de- 
clared they  had  not  tasted  food  for  twenty-four  hours ;  all 
who  made  known  their  situation,  were  relieved  by  our  citi- 
zens with  liberal  charity. 

The  forlorn  condition  of  the  insurgents  was  deepened  by 
the  distress  of  their  retreat.  Their  course  was  amid  the 
wildest  revelry  of  storm  and  wind  in  a  night  of  intense  cold. 
Some  were  frozen  to  death  by  the  way;  others,  exhausted 
with  struggling  through  the  deep  and  drifted  snow,  sunk 
down,  and  would  have  perished  but  for  the  aid  of  their 
stouter  comrades :  when  relief  was  sought  among  the  farm 
houses,  every  door  was  opened  at  the  call  of  misery,  and 
the  wrongs  done  by  the  rebel  were  forgotten  in  the  sufferings 
of  him  who  claimed  hospitality  as  a  stranger. 

The  whole  number  assembled  at  Worcester  never  exceeded 
a  thousand.     The  spirit  animating  the  first  movements  had 

8 


82 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


grown  cold,  and  Shajs  expressed  to  an  acquaintance  here, 
the  impression  that  the  cause  had  become  gloomy  and  hope- 
less. In  conversation  with  an  officer  of  government,  he 
disclaimed  being  at  the  head  of  the  rebellion  ;  declared  he 
had  come  to  the  resolution  to  have  nothing  more  to  do  with 
stopping  courts :  that  if  he  could  not  obtain  pardon,  he 
would  gather  the  whole  force  he  could  command,  and  fight 
to  the  last  extremity,  rather  than  be  hanged.  When  asked 
if  he  would  accept  pardon  were  it  offered,  and  abandon  the 
insurgents,  he  replied,  "yes,  in  a  moment."*" 

The  delay  of  government,  while  it  afforded  time  to  circu- 
late correct  information  among  the  people,  left  the  insur- 
gents at  liberty  to  pursue  their  measures.  The  Court  at 
Springfield,  on  the  26th  of  December,  was  resisted,  and  in- 
telligence was  received  of  active  exertions  to  prevent  the 
session  of  the  Common  Pleas,  at  Worcester,  on  the  23d  of 
January.  Longer  forbearance  would  have  been  weakness, 
and  vigorous  measures  were  adopted  for  sustaining  the  Ju- 
diciary. An  army  of  4400  men  was  raised  from  the  Coun- 
ties of  Suffolk,  Essex,  Middlesex,  Hampshire  and  Worces- 
ter, for  thirty  days  service.  General  Benjamin  Lincoln, 
whose  prudence,  and  military  skill  peculiarly  qualified  him 
for  the  important  trust,  received  the  command.  Voluntary 
loans  were  made  by  individuals  for  the  armament,  pay,  and 
subsistance  of  the  troops. 

*  The  retreat  of  Shays  not  only  afforded  the  friends  of  order  occasion  for 
triumph,  but  sport  for  wit.  An  Epig-ram,  from  one  of  the  prints,  affords  a 
specimen  of  the  poetry  and  jest  of  the  time.  The  name  of  the  common  car- 
riage, the  chaise,  and  that  of  the  insurgent  leader,  had  then  the  same  spelling 
as  well  as  sound. 

"  Says  sober  Will,  well  Shays  has  fled, 
And  peace  returns  to  bless  our  days. 
Indeed  !  cries  Ned,  I  always  said, 

He'd  prove  at  last  a.  fall  back  Shays  ; 
And  those  turned  over  and  undone, 
Call  him  a  worthless  Shays  to  run.'" 


TOWN  HISTORY,  gg 

On  the  21st  of  January,  the  army  took  up  the  line  of 
march  from  Roxbury.  The  inclemency  of  the  weather,  and 
the  condition  of  the  roads  rendered  a  halt  necessary  at 
Marlborough.  The  next  day  the  troops  reached  Worcester, 
notwithstanding  the  effects  of  sudden  thaw  on  the  deep  snow, 
and  were  quartered  on  the  inhabitants,  the  houses  being 
thrown  open  for  their  shelter  and  comfort.  Here  they  were 
joined  by  the  regiments  of  the  county.  The  town  contributed 
its  quota  liberally.  In  the  company  under  Capt.  Joel  Howe, 
were  twenty-seven  non-commissioned  officers  and  privates. 
In  the  artillery,  under  Capt.  William  Treadwell,  were  en- 
rolled forty-three  of  our  citizens.  Nineteen  served  under 
Capt.  Phinehas  Jones.  Seven  dragoons  were  embodied  in  a 
legionary  corps.  Lieut.  Daniel  Goulding  was  at  the  head 
of  a  troop  of  cavalry.  The  late  Judge  Edward  Bangs, 
Timothy  Bigelow,  afterwards  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives of  Massachusetts,  and  Theophilus  Wheeler, 
Esq.,  served  as  volunteers. 

Detachments  of  insurgents  collected  at  Rutland,  New 
Braintree,  Princeton,  Sterling  and  Sutton,  but,  intimidated 
by  the  military,  hovered  at  a  distance,  while  the  Courts  pro- 
ceeded. On  the  25th  of  January,  Gen.  Lincoln  hastened 
westward  for  the  relief  of  Shepherd,  and  of  the  arsenal  at 
Springfield,  invested  by  Shays  and  Day. 

Major  Greneral  Warner  was  left  in  command  at  Worces- 
ter, with  a  regiment  of  infantry,  a  corps  of  artillery,  includ- 
ing Capt.  TreadwelFs  company,  two  field-pieces,  and  a  party 
from  the  legionary  battalion  of  volunteer  cavalry.  Infor- 
mation having  been  given  that  a  body  of  about  two  hundred 
insurgents  had  assembled  at  New  Braintree,  intercepting 
travelers  and  insulting  the  friends  of  government,  twenty 
horsemen,  supported  by  about  150  infantry  in  sleighs,  were 


84 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


sent  out  on  the  night  of  the  2d  of  February,  to  capture  or 
disperse  the  disaffected.  Upon  approaching  the  place  of 
their  destination,  the  cavalry  were  ordered  to  advance  at 
full  speed  to  surprise  the  enemy.  The  insurgents,  apprised 
of  the  expedition,  had  abandoned  their  quarters  at  the  house 
of  Micah  Hamilton,  and  taken  post  behind  the  walls  of  the 
road-side,  and  having  fired  a  volley  of  musketry  upon  the 
detachment,  fled  to  the  woods  :  Mr.  Jonathan  Rice,  of  Wor- 
cester, a  deputy  sheriff,  was  shot  through  the  arm  and  hand  : 
Dr.  David  Young  was  severely  wounded  in  the  knee  ;*  the 
bridle  rein  of  Theophilus  Wheeler,  Esq.,  was  cut  by  a  ball. 
Without  halting,  the  soldiers  rapidly  pursued  their  way  to 
the  deserted  head  quarters,  where  they  liberated  Messrs. 
Samuel  Flagg,  and  John  Stanton,  of  Worcester,  who  had 
been  seized  the  day  previous,  while  transacting  private  busi- 
ness at  Leicester.  Having  dispersed  those  who  occupied 
the  barracks  at  Rutland,  the  next  day  the  companies  returned 
with  four  prisoners. 

The  career  of  Shays  was  fast  drawing  to  its  close.  Driven 
from  post  to  post,  he  suddenly  retired  from  Pelham  to  Pe- 
tersham, where  he  expected  to  concentrate  the  forces  of 
expiring  rebellion,  and  make  his  final  stand.  Intelligence 
of  this  change  of  position  reached  Gen.  Lincoln  at  Hadley, 
February  3d,  and  he  determined  by  prompt  and  decisive 
action,  to  terminate  the  warfare.  When  the  troops  took  up 
the  line  of  march  at  8  o'clock,  the  evening  was  bright  and 
mild.  Before  morning  the  cold  became  intense  :  the  dry 
and  light  snow,  whirled  before  a  violent  north  wind,  filled 
the  paths  and  rendered  them  almost  impassable.  The  sever- 
ity of  the  cold  prevented  any  halt  for  rest  or  refreshment. 

*  Dr.  Young  afterwards  recovered  £1000,  in  a  civil  action,  against  those  by 
whom  he  was  wounded. 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


85 


At  a  distance  from  shelter,  without  defence  against  the  in- 
clemency of  the  weather,  it  became  necessary  to  press  on 
without  pausing,  to  the  camp  occupied  by  men  possessii% 
all  martial  advantages,  except  courage  and  a  good  cause. 
The  heavy  sufferings  of  the  night  were  terminated  by  the 
arrival  of  the  troops  in  the  very  center  of  Petersham.  The 
followers  of  Shays,  trusting  to  the  violence  of  the  storm 
and  the  obstruction  of  the  highways,  rested  in  careless  secu- 
rity. The  first  warning  of  danger  was  from  the  appearance 
of  the  advanced  guard  of  the  forces  of  government,  after  a 
journey  of  thirty  miles,  in  the  midst  of  their  cantonment. 
Had  an  army  dropped  from  the  clouds  upon  the  hill,  the 
consternation  could  not  have  been  greater.  Panic  struck, 
the  insurgents  fled  without  firing  a  gun  or  oifering  resistance 
to  soldiers  exhausted  by  fatigue,  and  almost  sinking  under 
the  privations  and  hardships  of  the  severe  service. 

The  rebellion  being  terminated,  the  infliction  of  some 
punishment  for  the  highest  political  crime  was  deemed  expe- 
dient. Some  of  those  who  had  been  in  arms  against  the 
laws,  were  brought  to  trial,  convicted  of  treason  and  sen- 
tenced to  death.  Henry  Grale,  of  Princeton,  was  the  only 
insurgent  found  guilty   of  capital   off'ence,   in  this  county >* 

On  the  23d  of  June,  at  the  hour  fixed  for  his  execution 
by  the  warrant,  he  was  led  out  to  the  gallows  erected  on  the 
common,  with  all  the  solemn  ceremony  of  such  exhibitions. 
A  reprieve  was  there  read  to  him,  and  afterwards  full  pardon 
was  given. I     Proceedings  for  seditious  practices,  pending 


*  The  Court  assigned  as  liis  counsel,  Levi  Lincoln,  sen.  and  James  Sullivan. 
The  warm  support  of  government  by  the  former  had  rendered  him  obnoxious 
to  the  insurgents.  During  their  occupation  of  the  town,  they  sent  parties  to 
Siize  his  person,  who  surrounded  and  searched  his  house.  Seasonably  in- 
formed of  their  intentions,  he  was  able  to  disappoint  them. 

t  Six  were  convicted  of  treason  in  the  county  of  Berkshire,  six  in  Hamp- 

8* 


86 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


against  several  prisoners,  were  suspended.  The  mercy  of 
government  was  finally  extended  to  all  who  had  been  involved 
in^the  difficulties  and  disorders  of  the  time,  upon  taking  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  Commonwealth,  after  some  tempo- 
rary civil  disqualifications.* 


NOTICE  OF  DANIEL  SHAYS. 

[From  the  Same.] 

"  This  individual  acquired  an  unenviable  notoriety,  which 
imparts  some  degree  of  interest  to  the  incidents  of  his  life. 
He  was  born  in  Hopkinton,  in  1747;  the  son  of  parents 
not  in  affluent  circumstances,  he  worked  with  Mr.  Brinley, 
a  respectable  farmer  of  Framingham.  The  activity  and 
energy  of  his  youth  promised  at  maturity  more  desirable 
elevation  than  he  attained.  That  his  education  was  neglected, 
is  apparent  from  his  official  letters,  bidding  defiance  alike 
to  government,  grammar  and  good  spelling.  Just  before 
the  revolution,  he  removed  to  one  of  the  towns  beyond  Con- 
necticut river,  and  afterwards  resided  in  Pelham.  When 
the  war  commenced,  he   entered  the  army,  at  the  age  of 


Bhire,one  in  Worcester,  and  one  in  Middlesex,  all  of  whom  received  sentence 
of  death,  but  were  subsequently  pardoned.  The  only  public  punishment  ac- 
tually inflicted,  except  limited  disqualification  from  civil  or  military  office, 
was  on  a  member  of  the  house  of  representatives,  guilty  of  seditious  words 
and  practices,  who  was  sentenced  to  sit  on  the  gallows  with  a  rope  about  his 
neck,  pay  a  fine  of  £50,  and  to  be  bound  to  keep  the  peace  and  be  of  good  be- 
havior for  five  years. 

*  The  facts  stated  in  the  foregoing  chapter  have  been  derived  from  the 
Worcester  Magazine,  published  by  Isaiah  Thomas,  17SG,  1787,  Independent 
Chronicle,  Columbian  Centinel,  Minot's  History  of  the  Insurrection,  Files 
in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State,  Correspondence  of  Levi  Lincoln,  sen., 
American  Antiquarian  Society's  MSS. 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


87 


twenty-eight,  with  the  rank  of  ensign,  in  Capt.  Dickinson's 
company,  in  Col.  Benjamin  Ruggles  Woodbridge's  regiment. 
His  ambition,  activity,  and  plausible  manners  covering 
the  want  of  acquirements,  joined  with  personal  intrepidity, 
obtained  promotion,  and  in  1  776,  he  was  appointed  Lieu- 
tenant in  Col.  Varnum's  regiment.  At  the  time  when  the 
line  peculiarly  needed  reinforcement,  he  was  detached  on 
the  recruiting  service,  with  the  promise  of  some  suitable 
reward  for  the  enlistment  of  twenty  men.  For  this  purpose 
he  visited  his  native  state,  and  his  unwearied  exertions  were 
crowned  with  ample  success.  When  the  complement  assignd 
to  him  was  filled,  a  plan  suggested  itself  for  grasping  honor 
and  pay  at  once.  Finding  the  pulse  of  patriotism  beat  high, 
and  the  men  of  New  England  were  ready  to  devote  them- 
selves for  their  country,  he  continued  his  enlistments.  In- 
sinuating address  and  bold  representations,  produced  im- 
pressions of  his  ability  and  influence,  easily  turned  to  his 
own  advantage,  and  by  holding  out  expectations  of  indul- 
gence to  those  who  should  serve  under  his  command,  a  com- 
pany was  raised,  on  the  condition  that  he  should  be  their 
captain.  With  these  men  he  returned  to  the  camp,  where 
they  were  mustered.  When  the  inspector  was  about  to  dis- 
tribute them  to  different  corps,  Shays  produced  the  enlist- 
ment papers  ;  pointed  to  the  condition  which  held  them  to 
serve  under  himself  alone  ;  and  requested  the  appointment 
of  Captain.  The  necessity  of  the  times  prevented  the  sac- 
rifice of  so  many  recruits,  and  after  indignant  remonstran- 
ces, it  was  deemed  expedient  to  yield  to  his  demands.  The 
commission  was  promised,  and  issued  after  long  delay,  in 
September,  1779,  to  relate  back  to  Jan.  1st,  1777.  Such 
is  the  account  tradition  gives  of  his  military  rank.  The 
honors,  ill  won,  were  not  long  worn.     He  was  discharged 


88 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


October,  14,  1780,  at  Newark,  in  New  Jersey,  from  Col. 
Kufus  Putnam's  regiment. 

The  deficiency  of  honorable  sentiment  in  his  mental  con- 
stitution, may  be  inferred  from  a  characteristic  incident. 
Lafayette  had  presented  in  1780,  to  each  of  the  American 
officers  under  his  immediate  command,  an  elegant  sword. 
Such  pledge  of  regard  from  the  patriot  chief,  a  soldier  with 
a  spark  of  generous  feeling,  would  have  cherished  as  his 
dearest  possession,  and  transmitted  to  his  posterity  as  an 
heirloom  of  inestimable  value.  Shays  sold  the  gift  of  his 
commander  for  a  few  dollars- 

After  being  disbanded,  he  retired  to  Pelham,  and  lived 
in  obscurity.  Bankrupt  in  fortune  and  in  fame,  Shays  was 
ready  to  embark  on  the  flood  of  any  desperate  adventure. 
Without  the  energetic  decision  or  enlarged  conceptions,  the 
strong  spirit  or  the  bold  daring,  which  befit  a  leader,  by 
some  accident,  he  was  elevated  to  the  command  of  the  in- 
surgents. Of  capacity  too  humble  to  direct  the  movements 
of  an  army  in  those  moments  when  the  force  of  talent  makes 
itself  felt  by  triumphant  results,  and  turns  even  obstructions 
into  encouragements,  he  was  weak,  vacillating  and  irresolute. 
It  was  providential  that  the  physical  power  of  the  arm  of 
rebellion  had  so  feeble  a  head  to  direct  its  blow. 

With  the  first  shade  of  adversity,  he  made  indirect  over- 
tures to  the  agents  of  government,  to  abandon  his  comrades 
to  their  fate,  on  assurance  of  personal  safety  :  and  when  his 
base  propositions  were  rejected,  and  promises  of  indemnity 
and  pardon  were  ofi'ered  to  his  followers,  his  persuasions  in- 
duced them  to  reject  the  proffered  mercy  and  retain  the  arms 
of  hopeless  controversy,  to  purchase  by  their  sacrifice,  secu- 
rity for  himself. 

When  the  insurrection  was  crushed,  he  retired  to  Yer- 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


89 


mont.  After  the  lapse  of  a  few  years,  the  General  of  the 
rebellion  passed  through  the  streets  of  Worcester,  which  he 
once  entered  at  the  head  of  an  army,  and  received  assistance 
from  those  whose  homes  he  had  threatened  with  desolation. 

At  length  he  removed  to  Sparta,  in  New  York.  As  a 
pensioner  of  the  United  States,  he  derived  his  daily  bread 
from  the  government  whose  forces  he  had  encountered  in 
arms.  Declarations  filed  in  the  department  of  war,  by  him- 
self, show  that  his  family  consisted  of  an  aged  wife,  and  that 
he  lived  in  extreme  poverty.  He  died  September  29th, 
1825,  aged  78.^* 

However  much  the  honor  and  integrity  of  Daniel  Shays 
were  questioned,  his  courage  was  never  disputed.  He  was 
in  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill,  at  the  capture  of  Burgoyne, 
and  at  the  storming  of  Stony  Point :  was  under  Lafayette, 
and  did  good  service  in  many  bloody  encounters.  A  severe 
wound,  received  during  the  revolution,  was  honorary  testi- 
taonial  of  intrepidity." 

The  first  annual  town  meeting  was  held  the 
5th  of  March,  1787. 

Voted,  to  divide  the  town  into  four  school  dis- 
tricts. Also,  to  raise  $66  for  schooling  the  pres- 
ent year,  and  ^50  to  defray  town  charges.  Now 
follows  a  long  list  of  roads  laid  out  and  accepted 
by  the  town.    See  town  records,  book  1st, page  58. 

*He  married  Nancy  Haven,  a  widow.  The  schedule  of  his  property  in 
1820,  filed  in  the  pension  office,  exhibits  a  condition  of  almost  utter  destitu- 
tion.   It  is  as  follows  : 

1  mare,  $25  :  1  old  saddle,  $2.50  :  1  bridle,  50  :  1  old  cutter,  $5  :  1  old  axe, 
62K  cents:  1  hoe,  62K  cents  :  1  table,  $3  :  3  chairs,  1.123^  :  1  old  scythe  and 
snath,  1.12>^  :  1  old  pail,  12>^  cents  :  1  large  bible,  $1 :  amounting  to  $40.62>i. 


90 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


At  a  legal  meeting  of  the  town  held  June  6th, 
Voted,  to  choose  a  Committee  of  nine  to  pro- 
vide a  number  of  hands  to  raise  the  meeting 
house,  also  to  provide  refreshments  for  the  same. 
The  raising  Committee  made  application  to  Capt. 
Samuel  Sawin,  of  Westminster,  Esq'r  Smith,  of 
Ashburnham,  Dea  Moses  Hale,  of  Winchendon, 
and  Mr.  Joshua  Wright,  of  Templeton,  to  come 
with  a  number  of  good  hands  to  assist  in  raising 
the  house.  Accordingly,  they  all  appeared  on 
the  common  early  in  the  morning  of  June  27th, 
each  with  a  company  of  choice  men.  The  rais- 
ing commenced  early  and  went  on  rapidly  until 
about  noon,  when  an  accident  occurred ;  as  a 
number  of  men  standing  on  the  ground  in  the 
frame  were  drinking  water,  a  joist  fell  from  the 
upper  loft  and  struck  two  of  them  on  their  heads, 
wounding  them  severely :  one  was  Mr.  Day,  of 
Winchendon  ;  some  thought,  had  it  not  been  for 
the  pail  he  was  drinking  from,  it  would  have 
killed  him.  The  other  was  Mr.  Gregory,  from 
Templeton.  The  raising  went  on  and  the  frame 
was  completed  before  sundown  :  it  was  thought 
to  be  put  together  so  strong,  that  if  turned  down 
on  one  side  and  rolled  across  the  common,  it 
would  not  wreck  the  body  of  it.  There  are  but 
two  men  now  living,  who  had  any  thing  to  do 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


91 


with  this  affair  ;  those  are  brothers,  by  the  name 
of  Glazier,  and  they  have  arrived  to  the  advanced 
ages  of  86  and  90  years.  The  church  was  com- 
pleted at  a  cost  of  about  $1,600.  The  pews  in 
the  meeting-house  were  sold  at  auction,  June 
24th,  1788;  the  highest  brought  $40  ;  the  whole 
amounted  to  $1,577.50. 

The  town  being  legally  assembled  in  March, 
1791, 

Voted,  to  grant  $12  to  be  laid  out  for  singing ; 
the  first  act  we  have  to  record  that  reveals  a 
shade  of  music, 

In  1796,  the  town  granted  $833.33*  to  build 
school-houses. 

In  1797,  the  town  voted  to  procure  a  standard 
of  weights  and  measures.  Also,  to  make  up  to 
those  militia  men  who  turned  out  to  stand  at  a 
moment's  warning:  if  they  march,  $10  per  month 
including  what  the  Continent  and  State  give  them. 

Voted,  to  give  Rev.  Mr.  Osgood  a  present  of 
£25,  (or  $83.33.)  In  January,  1798,  the  same 
amount  was  again  presented  him  by  the  town. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  March,  1802,  the 
tow^n  voted  to  provide  powder  and  balls  sufficient 
to  equip  the  training  soldiers  in  Gardner:  that 


*  It  may  seem  strange  to  the  reader  that  they  had  a  fraction  in  dollars,  but 
money  was  then  reckoned  in  pounds  and  shillings  instead  of  dollars. 


92 


TOWN  HISTORY 


the  Selectmen  provide  the  same  and  carry  them 
to  the  commanding  officer  of  the  company  for 
his  inspection  before  the  first  of  May. 

At  the  annual  town  meeting,  March,   1808, 

Voted,  to  grant  ^400  to  defray  town  charges ; 
^300  for  the  use  of  schools,  and  ^500  for  repair- 
ing roads. 

At  a  legal  town  meeting,  June  13th, 

Voted,  to  grant  ^1,500  to  build  a  county  road, 
and  pay  the  damages,  laying  between  Winchen- 
don  and  Westminster. 

In  1812,  the  town  granted  ^50  to  build  a 
powder-house. 

In  1814,  a  vote  was  taken  by  the  tow^n,  thatif 
any  damage  be  done  to  any  of  the  school-houses 
in  town,  by  a  scholar,  the  parent  or  guardian  shall 
repair  the  same. 

In  1816,  the  town  granted  ^200  to  repair  the 
meeting-house.  A  meeting  was  called  Novem- 
ber, 1817,  for  the  purpose  of  selling  the  new 
pews  in  the  meeting-house. 

In  1818,  the  town  voted  to  choose  a  Committee 
of  nine,  to  divide  the  town  into  school  districts. 

In  1819,  the  town  voted  to  sell  the  oak  trees 
(eight  or  ten  in  number)  on  the  common,  and 
in  the  burying-ground,  to  the  highest  bidder: 
they  were  struck  off  to  Mr.  Benjamin  Hey  wood, 
at  ^9.99. 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


93 


At  a  meeting  in  April,  1821,  the  people  met 
to  express  their  minds  respecting  the  amendment 
of  the  Constitution  of  this  Commonwealth.  See 
town  records,  hook  3d,  page  37th. 

In  1822,  a  Committee  was  chosen  to  establish 
the  line  between  Westminster  and  Gardner. 

At  the  annual  town  meeting  in  March,  1833. 

Voted,  to  raise  ^600  school  money,  to  be  equal- 
ly divided  between  the  six  school  districts : 
^1,200  to  repair  roads  and  bridges  :  ^700  to  de- 
fray town  charges ;  and  ^200  for  purchasing- 
engines. 

In  1834,  the  town  voted  to  raise  ^550,  to  build 
a  bridge  over  Otter  river. 

At  a  legal  town  meeting  held  July,    1839. 

Voted  to  raise  ^300  to  repair  the  road  from 
Dea.  Fairbanks'  to  Templeton  line. 

August  31st,  1840,  the  town  voted  to  raise 
^1,000  by  tax,  and  authorized  the  Treasurer  to 
borrow  §3,500  to  make  and  keep  roads  in  repair. 

In  1845,  Voted,  to  authorize  the  Treasurer  to 
borrow  §150  for  town  charges. 

In  1847,  a  vote  was  taken  that  a  tomb  be  built 
for  the  use  of  the  town. 

In  1849,  Voted,  to  appropriate  §20  annually, 
for  the  ringing  of  each  bell  in  town. 

Voted,  to  accept  of  the  report  of  the  Commit- 

9 


QA  TOWN  HISTORY. 

tee  chosen  to  purchase  a  town  farm.  Voted  to 
accept  of  the  following  rules  and  regulations 
for  the  government  of  the  Work-house  in  the 
town  of  Gardner.  The  duty  of  the  Overseers 
of  the  Poor,  the  Master,  the  Physician,  and  the 
inmates  of  said  house. 

Power  and  Duty  of  the  Overseers  of  the  Poor, 

"  Tt  shall  be  their  duty  to  provide  for  all  poor, 
indigent  persons,  who  are  unable  to  take  care  of 
themselves.  At  all  times  when  circumstances 
will  admit,  they  shall  be  supported  on  the  farm, 
which  the  town  have  purchased  for  that  purpose 
and  shall  hereafter  be  known  by  the  name  of 
Gardner  work-house.  They  are  to  provide  suita- 
ble stock,  farming  utensils  and  household  furni- 
ture :  also,  make  such  additions  and  repairs  as 
are  necessary  for  the  establishment.  They  are 
to  manage  the  concern  in  the  best  possible  man- 
ner, and  to  provide  suitable  places  for  all  poor 
children,  as  soon  as  they  can  earn  their  living, 
and  see  that  they  are  brought  up  to  some  trade 
or  calling,  and  suitably  schooled.  They  shall 
constantly  keep  suitable  persons  for  a  Master 
and  Mistress,  and  such  other  help  as  they  shall 
deem  necessary. 

A  Physician  shall  be  employed  to  attend  the 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


95 


sick,  (when  requested  by  the  Overseers,  or  Mas- 
ter,) who  shall  keep  a  record  of  his  visits,  the 
price,  and  for  whom  they  were  made  ;  and  shall 
receive  such  compensation  as  may  be  agreed 
upon  by  him  and  the  Overseers,  and  may  be  re- 
moved at  the  pleasure  of  the  Overseers.  It  shall 
be  the  duty  of  the  Overseers  to  meet  at  the  work- 
house on  the  last  Saturday  in  February,  May, 
August,  and  November  annually,  for  the  purpose 
of  inspecting  the  concerns  of  the  establishment, 
and  giving  directions  to  the  master.  It  shall  be 
the  duty  also  for  one  of  the  Overseers  to  visit  the 
work-house  as  often  as  once  a  month,  for  the 
purpose  of  inspecting  the  management  of  the 
concerns,  the  usage  of  the  inmates,  and  giving 
directions  to  the  master,  &c.  At  their  meeting 
in  February,  they  shall  take  an  inventory  of  all 
the  personal  property,  and  the  betterments,  if 
any,  which  shall  be  recorded  in  a  book  kept  by 
them  for  that  and  other  purposes.  They  shall 
keep  a  record  of  all  persons  who  are  supported 
in  the  work-house ;  the  time  when  they  came, 
and  when  they  go  away ;  and  to  record  all  other 
matters  which  they  shall  deem  necessary :  all  of 
which  shall  be  reported  by  them  at  the  annual 
March  meeting." 


gg  TOWN  HISTORY. 

Power  and  Duty  of  the  Master. 

"  The  Master  shall  have  the  immediate  care 
and  control  of  the  inmates,  and  all  the  property 
belonging  to  the  institution ;  and  shall  give  an 
account  of  the  same  to  the  Overseers,  when  called 
upon  by  them :  he  shall  see  that  the  inmates  are 
suitably  provided  with  lodging,  clothes  and  food, 
and  shall  call  on  the  Overseers  for  such  things  as 
are  necessary  for  that  purpose.  It  shall  be  the 
duty  of  the  Master  to  see  that  all  who  are  able 
to  labor,  are  employed  in  such  a  manner  as  shall 
be  most  advantageous  to  the  town ;  and  to  in- 
struct in  regard  to  the  moral  character  of  all 
persons  in  his  care,  and  see  that  the  Sabbath  is 
duly  observed;  and  to  take  care  of  all  the  fires, 
see  that  the  lights  are  put  out,  that  the  inmates 
retire  in  proper  season,  and  the  children  in  his 
care  are  suitably  schooled ;  it  shall  also  be  his 
duty  to  punish  any  one  of  the  inmates  who  are 
refractory,  or  disobedient,  and  perform  all  other 
duties  which  may  devolve  on  him  by  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Overseers." 

Duty  of  the  Inmates. 

"  All  persons  who  are  maintained  in  the  work- 
house, shall  be  under  the  immediate  care  and 
control  of  the  Master  and  Mistress  of  the  house. 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


97 


and  shall  not  absent  themselves  from  the  prem- 
ises without  their  consent ;  and  such  as  are  able 
to  labor,  shall  labor  according  to  the  directions 
of  the  Master.  There  shall  be  no  ardent  spirits 
used  on  the  premises,  except  by  the  special  di- 
rection of  the  Physician. 

The  above  rules  and  regulations  shall  be  laid 
before  the  town  at  a  regular  meeting,  and  when 
accepted  by  them,  shall  be  the  Rules  and  By-laws 
of  the  Gardner  work-house ;  and  shall  be  read 
in  the  work-house  in  the  presence  of  the  Master 
and  Inmates,  at  the  commencement  of  each  year, 
by  one  of  the  Overseers. 

These  Rules  and  Regulations  may  be  altered 
or  amended  at  any  legal  meeting  of  the  town." 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  March,  1849, 
Voted,  to  give  Levi  Heywood,   Charles  W. 
Bush,  Francis  Richardson  and  others,  leave  to 
fence  off  a  portion  of  the  common,  and  set  out 
ornamental  trees  on  the  same. 

At  the  annual  meeting  in  March,  1859, 
Voted,  to  raise  ^4,500,  to  defray  town  charges 
the  present  year. 

Voted,  to  raise  ^2,000,  for  the  support  of 
schools  ;  voted  to  leave  ^300  of  the  school  money 
in  the  hands  of  the  Committee  to  expend  in  the 

9* 


QQ  TOWN  HISTORY. 

several  districts  at  their  discretion,  so  as  to  make 
the  schools  as  near  equal  as  possible ;  and  to 
give  district  No.  4,  $50.  No.  5,  $50.  No.  6, 
$75,  and  the  remainder  divided  equally  in  pro- 
portion to  the  number  of  scholars. 

Voted,  that  the  tax  on  polls  and  personal 
property,  &c.,  be  paid  to  the  Town  Treasurer,  on 
or  before  the  20th  of  July  next,  and  there  shall 
be  allowed  on  the  same,  and  also  all  who  shall 
voluntarily  pay  their  tax  on  real  estate  at  that 
time,  a  discount  of  six  per  cent.;  and  all  taxes 
on  polls  and  personal  property  not  paid  at  that 
time,  be  placed  in  the  hands  of  a  constable  for 
collection ;  and  all  who  shall  voluntarily  pay 
their  tax  on  real  estate,  on  or  before  the  1st 
of  October  next,  a  discount  of  four  per  cent., 
after  which,  all  taxes  not  paid  on  the  1st  of  De- 
cember, to  be  put  in  the  hands  of  a  constable 
for  collection. 

In  accordance  with  a  vote  of  the  town,  a  build- 
ing is  being  erected  at  a  probable  cost  of  $14,000 
or  $15,000,  which  is  designed  for  a  town  hall, 
stores  and  other  purposes. 

There  have  been  648  legal  town  meetings 
held  in  Gardner  since  its  incorporation  as  a  town. 

The  amount  of  money  granted,  assessed  and 
collected  by  the  town,  is  $319,341. 


TOWN  HISTORY. 


99 


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TOWN   HISTORY —VALUATION,  &C. 


VALUATION,    &c. 

Valuation  of  the  Town  for  the  year  1858,  .         .     $826,475 

No.  of  Polls,    .... 
No.  of  Voters, 

Amount    of   Money    raised    in    11 
Highway    Tax. 

Town  Grrant, 
County  Tax, 
State  Tax, 
Overlayings, 

Total, 

The  following  is  a  List  of  Persons  pay 
Dollars  and  upwards. 

Alexander,  Eastman, 
Adams,  Ezekiel, 
Brick,  Elijah, 
Baker,  Ezra, 
Baker,  Joseph, 
Baker,  Richard, 
Bancroft,  Smyrna  W., 
Bancroft,  Amasa, 
Bush,  Charles  W.,     . 
Brick,  Alfred  H.,       . 
Britton,  Charles  A., 
Bent,  A.  Allen, 
Bradford,  Lewis  H., 
Brown,  Jonathan, 
Brinkman,  John, 


• 

• 

500 

58,  exclusive  of 

$6,700.00 

886.31 

371.00 

266.94 

do  ooa  aK. 

<g)0,^ 

s  PAYING  Twenty 

DS. 

.   $20 

17 

21 

39 

44 

41 

67 

60 

.  27 

92 

24 

10 

81 

88 

78 

77 

48 

23 

36 

39 

20 

37 

21 

91 

37 

56 

44 

92 

20 

48 

TOWN  HISTO II Y— TAXES. 


Ill 


Coolidge,  Artemas, 
Cowee,  Joel, 
Collester,  Rugg  &  Co 
Collester,  Maro, 
Clark,  Alonzo  B., 
Canterbury,  Ira, 
Comee,  widow  Sarah, 
Conant,  Calvin, 
Cobleigh,  Luke, 
Derby,  Philander, 
Dodd,  W.  W.  &  G.  W., 
Davis,  Gr.  W.,  Heirs  of, 
Edgell,  John,     . 
Ellsworth,  Greorge  F., 
Eaton,  Peter, 
Eaton,  John, 
Foster,  Elijah  W., 
Fairbanks,  Sardis, 
Fairbanks,  Levi, 
Green,  Charles, 
Graham,  Lewis  H., 
Goodspeed,  Daniel  J 
Greenwood,  Edward, 
Greenwood,  Walter, 
Greenwood,  Walter,  Trustee  of 
Greenwood  &  Wright, 
Guild,  Willard  G.,     . 
Gates,  Sarauel  G., 
Gates  Marcius  A., 
Gates,  Horace, 
Glazier,  Thomas  E., 
Heywood,  Seth, 


21 

39 

33 

68 

51 

27 

23 

49 

20 

07 

27 

10 

28 

10 

20 

85 

28 

03 

32 

73 

20 

38 

27 

80 

96 

03 

20 

99 

45 

13 

34 

78 

29 

64 

33 

88 

32 

34 

62 

01 

38 

10 

24 

91 

46 

94 

66 

14 

Baptis 

tSoci 

ety,  40 

80 

190 

68 

24 

43 

24 

98 

24 

56 

27 

94 

60 

09 

195 

79 

112 


TOWN   HISTORY.— TAXES. 


Heywood  Chair  Mfg.  Co. 

.       291   18 

Heywood,  L.,  &  Co., 

26  65 

Heywood,  widow  Mary, 

30  60 

Heywood,  Levi, 

.        388  09 

Hogan  &  Co.,     . 

57   12 

Howe,N.  B.,     . 

48  43 

Howe,  Simeon, 

21  04 

Hill,  Wm.  B.,  Admr.  of  the  est. 

of  Geo.  Howe,  25  91 

Howe,  Ebenezer, 

23  94 

Howe,  Joseph  P.,       . 

23  59 

Hill,  Henry  C, 

.       139   16 

Hager,  George  B.,     . 

38  23 

Hinds,  Abijah, 

29  75 

Hodgman,  George,     . 

21    77 

Jackson,  Elisha  S.,     . 

34  61 

Jackson,  Josiah  A., 

20  92 

Kendall,  Hubbard,  estate  of, 

25  24 

Kendall,  Benjamin  T., 

53  95 

Kendall,  Orison, 

29  40 

Kelton,  George, 

25  91 

Lynde,  Wm.  S., 

95  91 

Lovewell,  Leonard, 

52  33 

Lovewell,  Isaac, 

23   63 

Lawrence,  Henry, 

32  93 

Merriam,  Albert, 

.          .          .          29  81 

Morse,  C.  W 

21   37 

Moore,  John  M., 

20  59 

Nichols  &  Baker, 

24  74 

Parker,  David, 

.        208  89 

Parker  &  Heywood,  Trustees  of  Sarah  Heywood,  61   20 

Pierce,  S.  K.,    . 

125  94 

Pierce,  Jonas,   . 

58  04 

TOWN  HISTORY.— TAXES. 


113 


Partridge,  Seneca,     . 

66  03 

Perley,  Asa, 

24  40 

Peabody,  John  H.,     . 

21    59 

Eiigg  &  Osgood, 

53  04 

Richardson,  Francis, 

57  54 

Richardson,  Asa, 

•      . 

36  80 

Ray,  Heman, 

28   18 

Ray,  Amos, 

26  78 

Stevens,  S.  W.  A.,     . 

30  68 

Stevens,  Abel  S., 

22  23 

Sawin,  L.  H.,     . 

54  05 

Sawin,  John, 

48  64 

Stone,  Benjamin, 

47  32 

Shumway,  Charles  A., 

24  45 

Scollay,  Charles, 

23   54 

Smith,  AsaF., 

20  01 

South  Gardner  Mfg.  Co., 

.       229  50 

Temple,  Seth  H., 

42  40 

Temple,  C  C, 

23  54 

Travers,  E.  C.  J.  &  0.  A. 

36  83 

Thompson,  Hollis, 

24  82 

Wood,  Asaph, 

.        100  99 

Wood,  Abel  S., 

71   99 

Wood,  Nelson  P.,      . 

21   80 

Whitney,  Amasa, 

98   18 

Whitney,  Joseph,  2d, 

24   19 

Whitney,  J.  &  I., 

44  61 

Whitney,  J.  &  J.  A., 

31   07 

White,  A.  &  Co.,        . 

47  37 

Wright,  Joseph, 

21   85 

Wright,  Edward, 

21   04 

Willis,  Andrew  W., 

29  39 

11^  TOWX  HISTORY.— ROADS. 

Non-Residents. 

Taylor,  Stephen, $28  76 

Murdock,  E.,  Sawyer,  and  others,       .         .  61   21 

Whitney,  Seth, 22   18 

Stone,  Leonard, 20  40 


E  O  A  D  S. 

The  town  is  well  supplied  with  roads,  amount- 
ing to  between  fifty  and  sixty  miles  in  length,  of 
which  the  following  are  the  principal  ones : 

The  road  leading  from  Brattleborough  to  Bos- 
ton, through  the  south  part  of  the  town,  is  about 
four  miles  in  length,  and  was  originally  a  turn- 
pike. In  the  year  1829,  it  was  abandoned  as 
such,  and  made  free  for  public  travel.  It  was 
laid  out  as  a  county  road  by  the  Commissioners 
in  the  year  1833,  and  re-built  by  the  town,  at  an 
expense  of  between  seven  and  eight  thousand 
dollars. 

The  county  road  leading  from  Westminster  to 
Royalston  passes  through  the  center  of  the 
Town  ;   length,  seven  miles. 

The  roads  from  the  center  of  the  town,  lead- 
ing to  Ashburnham,  Winchendon,  Jonesville, 
Templeton,  and  Hubbardston,  are  of  about  an 
equal  length ;  viz :  from  four  to  five  miles. 


TOWN  HISTORY.-MILITARY.  lie 

The  roads  belonging  to  Gardner  are  kept  in 
repair  at  a  cost  of  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  hun- 
dred dollars  annually. 

The  Vermont  and  Massachusetts  rail-road 
passes  through  the  town  from  east  to  west,  at 
about  an  equal  distance  from  the  center  and  south 
village,  ^Ye  or  six  miles  in  length. 


MILITARY. 

Soon  after  the.  incorporation  of  the  town,  a 
militia  company  was  formed  of  all  the  able 
bodied  men  between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and 
forty-five,  (according  to  the  laws  of  the  Com- 
monwealth,) and  chose  William  Bickford,  Cap- 
tain. This  company  continued  to  do  duty,  until 
the  law  requiring  such  duty  was  repealed.  The 
following  are  the  names  of  its  commanders. 

William  Bickford,  Reuben  Haynes,  Samuel 
Edgell,  Aaron  Greenwood,  Abel  Kendall,  Ben- 
jamin Edgell,  David  Nichols,  Arna  Bacon,  Ezra 
Moore,  William  Bickford,  Jr.,  Ahio  Temple, 
Levi  Priest,  Ezekiel  Howe,  Abel  Jackson,  Bart- 
lett  Stoddard,  Henry  Whitney,  William  Learned, 
George  W.  Co  wee  and  Ephraim  Wright. 


T-in  TOWN  HISTORY.— MILITARY. 

In  1813,  a  volunteer  company  was  formed, 
called  the  Gardner  Light  Infantry.  Soon  after 
its  organization,  it  was  ordered  to  South  Boston, 
where  it  remained  on  duty  until  the  close  of  the 
war. 

The  following  are  the  names  of  the  commis- 
sioned officers,  non-commissioned  officers,  and 
privates  belonging  to  this  company  at  the  time 
they  were  ordered  into  the  service  of  their 
country. 

Ephraim  Williams,  Captain ;  Samuel  Sawin, 
Lieut.;  Joel  Cowee,  Ensign;  Ebenezer  Bolton, 
1st  Sergeant ;  Charles  Hoar,  2d,  do.;  Benjamin 
Stone,  3d,  do.;  Eeuben  Wheeler,  4th,  do. 

Privates :  Luke  Whitney,  Josiah  Eaton,  Joel 
Wheeler,  James  Coolidge,  Jr.,  Josiah  Wilder, 
Isaac  Wilder,  David  Wilder,  Phineas  Moore, 
Aaron  Conant,  Abram  F.  Glazier,  George  W. 
Davis,  Seth  Whitney,  Joseph  Whitney,  2d.,  Jos. 
P.  Whitney,  Thomas  Bennett,  Jr.,  Hubbard  Ken- 
dall, Joseph  L.  Newell,  Pliny  Billings,  David 
Perley,  David  Reed,  Jr.,  Isaac  Jackson,  John 
Woodbury,  Natlil  Wright,  Jonas  Brick,  Amasa 
Leland,  Farwell  Conant,  and  Benjamin  Edgell. 

William  Fenno,  Drummer ;  Levi  Divol,  Bass, 
do.;  Edward  Loud,  Fifer. 

This  was  a  spirited  and  well-disciplined  com- 


TOWN  HISTORY—MILITARY.  1  1  t^ 

pany  for  about  twenty  years,  under  the  command 
of  the  followmg  named  officers  : 

Ephm  Williams,  Joel  Cowee, Reuben  Wheeler, 
Benjamin  Stone,  Thomas  Bennett,  Jr.,  Isaac 
Jackson,  Martin  Dunster,  Luther  Alden,  and 
Isaac  P.  Kendall. 

In  1844,  a  company  was  formed  called  the 
Gardner  Greys.  The  following  is  a  list  of  the 
officers  of  the  company : 

James  Coolidge,  2d,  Captain ;  David  Kendall, 
Joseph  Wood,  and  Hiram  Wood,  Lieutenants ; 
Charles  Leland,  Quartermaster ;  John  W.  Hill, 
Henry  C.  Hill,  Aaron  B  Jackson,  Edwin  A  Ste- 
vens, and  Alonzo  B.  Clark,  Sergeants ;  Josiah 
A.  Jackson,  Hosea  Adams,  John  H.  Peabody, 
and  James  W.  Woodbury,  Corporals  ;  Aaron  B. 
Jackson,  Treasurer. 

Privates:  Edwin  Hill,  Asher  W.  Shattuck, 
James  B.  Lord,  Ebenezer  Ballon,  Alonzo  Davis, 
Addison  A.  Walker,  Joseph  L.  AVheeler,  Wil- 
liam B.  Hill,  George  A.  Glazier,  Nathan  A. 
Gates,  John  M.  Seaver,  Edwin  Howe,  Charles 
E.  Bickford,  Abijah  Hinds,  Jr.,  Merrick  Adams, 
W^illiam  H.  Learned,  Stilman  D.  Colburn,  Har- 
rison E.  Rawson,  Lysander  B.  Jaquith,  William 
T.  Peabody,  Charles  Noyes,  Hiram  Williams, 
Elijah  W.  Foster,  John  H.  Walker,  Albert  Bick- 

11 


2]^g  TOWN  HISTORY.— MUSIC. 

ford,  J.  H.  Sperling,  George  T.  Lowell,  Ai  Stone, 
J.  P.  Lynde,  Eansom  Bolton,  Bellarmin  Bolton, 
Luke  Whitney,  E.  G.  Eeed,  Daniel  Adams, 
Ephraim  S.  Bowker,  Luther  B.  Walker,  Samuel 
Hodgman,  B.  G.  Cochran,  Asa  F,  Smith  and 
Benjamin  H.  Rugg. 

This  company  was  disbanded  in  1851 ;  since 
that  time  there  has  been  no  military  company  in 
Gardner. 


MUSIC. 


There  were  two  bands  of  music  formed  in 
1855.  One  in  the  center  of  the  town,  called  the 
Gardner  Cornet  Band,  is  composed  of  eighteen 
members.  The  other  is  in  the  south  village, 
and  is  called  the  Mechanics'  Cornet  Band ;  it 
consisted  of  nineteen  members  at  its  formation  ; 
it  now  numbers  sixteen. 

These  organizations  have  not  the  power  to 
protect  or  secure  property  that  belong  to  the 
engine  companies  ;  yet  their  music  has  a  tenden- 
cy to  invigorate,  enliven  and  animate  the  mind, 
rendering  it  more  capable  of  enjoying  its  pos- 
sessions. 


TOWN  HISTORY.— FIRE  DEPARTMENT.  1^9 

FIEE    DEPAETMENT. 

The  fire  department  at  the  present  time,  con- 
sists of  two  organized  companies  of  engine  men 
formed  in  1852.  One  is  located  in  the  sonth 
village,  and  is  called  the  Cataract,  No.  1 ;  Samuel 
Bent,  Foreman.  The  other,  is  in  the  west  village, 
and  is  called  the  Torrent,  No.  2  ;  Hiram  Wood, 
Foreman.  Both  companies  have  powerful  en- 
gines which  were  purchased  by  the  town  at  an 
expense  of  nearly  three  thousand  dollars,  includ- 
ing hose. 


F  I  E  E  S, 

AND    INJURIES    BY    LIGHTNING. 

1798,  August  10.  A  barn  belonging  to  Seth 
Heywood  was  set  on  fire  by  lightning  and  con- 
sumed, with  the  crops  of  hay  and  grain. 

1798,  August  24.  A  barn  belonging  to  Samuel 
Stone  was  struck  by  lightning  and  burnt;  it 
was  well  filled  with  hay  and  grain. 

1808.  In  May,  a  dwelling-house  of  Joseph 
Wright,  with  all  the  furniture,  was  consumed. 
The  fire  was  occasioned  by  a  defect  in  the  oven. 

1809.  In  November,  a  house  belonging  to 
Allen  Perley  was  burned,  with  the  furniture  ;  he 
was  having  it  repaired  at  the  time ;  the  workmen 


120 


TOWN  HISTORY.— FIRES. 


had  left  shavings  so  near  the  fire-place,  that  on 
going  out,  the  wind  took  them  to  the  fire,  thus 
communicating  the  fiames  to  the  building  with 
such  rapidity  that  there  was  no  chance  to  save  it. 

1810.  In  the  spring  of  the  year,  a  house  be- 
longing to  Capt.  Ezekiel  Howe  was  struck  by 
lightning:  there  had  been  quite  a  shower  of  rain 
a  little  while  before  ;  Mr.  Howe  was  coming  to- 
w^ards  the  house  when  it  was  struck,  and  remarked 
"  that  the  electricity  had  the  appearance  of  live 
coals  thrown  from  the  roof."  The  house  was  not 
burned,  but  so  shattered,  that  he  built  a  new 
one ;  the  furniture  was  upset,  and  the  crockery 
throAvn  from  the  shelves  and  broken.  A  loaded 
gun  standing  in  the  house  was  discharged  by  the 
electricity. 

1813.  The  card  shop  of  Josiah  Wilder,  Jr. 
was  destroyed  by  fire.  Also,  a  dwelling-house 
belonging  to  Aaron  Pratt. 

1827.  In  February,  a  chair  shop  of  James 
M.  Comee  was  burned. 

1829.  A  grist  mill  belonging  to  Capt.  William 
Bickford,  (where  C.  J.  and  O.  A.  Travers'  chair 
shop  now  stands,)  was  burned. 

1834:.  In  June,  the  dwelling-house  of  Seth 
Whitney  took  fire  upon  the  roof,  and  was  de- 
stroyed.    In  October,  a  chair  shop  belonging  to 


TOWN  HISTORY.— FIRES. 


121 


Walter  Heywood  was  burned  on  the  site  where 
Asher  Shattuck's  house  now  stands. 

Capt.  Henry  Whitney  had  a  mill  burned,  and 
built  another  on  the  same  site,  which  he  sold  to 
Daniel  J.  Goodspeed,  which  was  afterwards  burnt. 

Martin  Dunster  had  a  chair  shop  destroyed  by 
fire,  on  the  site  where  Nichols  &  Baker's  grist 
mill  now  stands. 

1839.  In  March,  a  chair  shop  of  Elijah  Put- 
nam was  burned,  on  the  site  now  occupied  by 
L.  H.  Sawin. 

1841,  August  20.  The  blacksmith  shop  be- 
longing to  Capt.  William  Learned  was  destroyed 
by  fire. 

1846.  A  mill  belonging  to  Ai  Stone,  in  the 
north  part  of  the  town,  (where  John  Cowee's 
mill  now  stands,)  w^as  burned.  A  small  house 
belonging  to  Heman  Hay  was  burned  the  same 
year.  Daniel  J.  Goodspeed  had  a  shop  con- 
sumed by  fire,  where  Greenwood  &  Wright's 
chair  shop  now  stands. 

1852.  In  November,  the  same  individual  had 
a  shop  burned  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  B.  F. 
Kendall. 

1855.  In  March,  the  house  that  had  been 
occupied  by  Miss  Kneeland  and  Mrs.  Phinney, 
was  burned. 

11* 


122 


TOWN  HISTORY.— CASUALTIES. 


1857.  In  September,  a  large  paint  shop  be- 
longing to  the  Sonth  Gardner  Chair  Manufac- 
turing Company,  near  the  depot,  was  burned. 
Loss,  ^10,000  ;   insured  for  $5,500. 

Other  inconsiderable  tires  may  have  occurred. 


Hail  Storm.  A  sudden  storm  of  hail  came 
over  the  north  part  of  Gfardner,  June  20,  1850, 
breaking  the  glass  on  the  west,  and  north-west 
side  of  the  buildings  where  it  went.  The  hail 
came  with  such  force  that  it  broke  down  the 
growing  vegetables  in  its  course. 


CASUALTIES. 

In  1802,  Setli  Hey  wood  was  found  dead  by 
the  road-side,  between  Leominster  and  West- 
minster ;  he  had  been  to  assist  a  man  in  driving 
some  cattle,  and,  in  returning  home,  it  is  sup- 
posed, he  felt  unwell  and  stepped  out  of  the  road 
and  died.  He  was  a  young  man,  dearly  beloved 
and  greatly  lamented  by  his  friends.  His  age 
was  25. 

In  1818,  David  Wilder  was  killed  in  conse- 
quence of  a  tub  of  gravel  falling  on  him  while 
he  was  at  work  in  a  well ;  the  tub  was  drawn 


TOWN  HISTORY.— CASUALTIES.  ^23 

up  by  a  windlass  ;  those  working  at  that,  turned 
it  so  fast,  that  the  tub  went  over  after  it  was 
drawn  up.     His  age  was  30. 

In  1820,  Joseph  Clark,  Jr.,  died  in  a  fit.  His 
age  was  33. 

In  1822,  William  Fenno  died  in  consequence 
of  falling  from  his  wagon  while  going  down  the 
hill,  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  east  of  the  center 
of  the  town,  a  little  below  the  road  to  West- 
minster. On  examining  the  wagon,  it  was  found 
that  the  linchpin  went  but  a  little  way  into  the 
axle-tree ;  it  was  supposed,  on  turning  around, 
as  one  wheel  went  over  a  stone,  the  pin  came 
out,  and  on  going  down  this  hill  the  wheel  came 
off,  causing  the  accident.  He  lived  two  or  three 
days. 

In  1826,  Jonathan  Martin  w^as  found  dead  in 
his  house,  being  left  alone  for  a  little  while. 
Jonathan  Bancroft  was  found  dead  in  a  pasture, 
while  on  a  visit  to  his  son  ;  as  he  was  going  from 
the  field  to  the  house,  he  died,  (as  was  supposed) 
in  a  fit.     Ilis  age  was  76. 

In  1831,  Asahel  Brick  died  in  a  fit.  His  age 
was  47.  Harriet,  daughter  of  Abijah  Hinds,  was 
drowned  in  a  clay  pit.     She  was  7  years  of  age. 

In  1834,  Capt.  Ahio  Temple  died  suddenly  in 
his  bed.     His  age  was  70. 


124 


TOWX  HISTORY.— CASUALTIES. 


In  1835,  Benjamiu  Howe  fell  from  a.  ladder 
attached  to  the  high  beams  in  the  barn ;  he  had 
nearly  reached  the  top  when  the  ladder  swayed, 
and  he  fell  to  the  floor,  injuring  him  so  badly 
that  he  died  the  third  day.     His  age  was  52. 

In  1837,  Daniel  Gates  was  so  injured  by  the 
upsetting  of  his  wagon,  (near  the  house  of  Amos 
Kay,)  that  he  lived  but  a  few  days. 

In  1842,  Winslow  Davis  was  wounded  by  fall- 
ing from  his  wagon,  causing  his  death  in  a  few 
days.  Amasa  Leland  was  killed  by  a  timber 
falling  upon  his  head  while  taking  down  his  barn. 
His  age  was  49.  Silas,  son  of  George  W  Davis, 
while  sliding  from  a  hay-mow,  came  forcibly 
upon  a  pitchfork,  which  entered  his  body  caus- 
ing his  death.     He  was  10  years  of  age. 

In  1844,  Mrs.  Joel  Co  wee  died  suddenly  in 
her  bed.     Her  age  was  54. 

In  1843,  Horace  P.,  son  of  David  Bickford, 
was  drowned.     He  was  5  years  of  age. 

In  1851,  Andrew  Beard  was  found  dead  in  his 
bed.     His  age  was  79. 

In  1852,  a  child  of  George  Howe  died  in  a 
fit.     He  was  2  years  of  age. 

In  1855,  Levi  Kichardson  was  found  frozen 
in  Mr.  Bailouts  mill,  in  the  north  part  of  the 
town.     His  age  was  53.     Hubbard  Kendall  was 


TOWN  HISTORY.— CASUALTIES. 


125 


killed  by  the  falling  of  a  tree.  His  age  was  65. 
Miss  Merriam  was  found  dead  in  her  bed.  Her 
age  was  69. 

On  the  night  of  the  7th  of  March,  1855,  a 
shocking  murder  was  committed  in  Gardner. 
The  house  of  Miss  Miriam  Kneeland  and  Mrs. 
Sarah  K.  Phinney,  was  entered,  by  breaking  a 
window  while  the  occupants  were  in  their  beds  ; 
the  murderer  with  malice  prepense,  and  without 
any  provocation,  maliciously  murdered  those  two 
innocent  persons  by  striking  them  on  their  heads 
with  a  cudgel.  The  instrument  used  was  a  chair- 
post.  The  murder  was  not  disclosed  until  the 
next  day  evening.  This  affair  so  agitated  the 
town,  that  there  was  but  little  business  accom- 
plished for  a  week ;  there  was  great  exertion 
used  to  ascertain  the  perpetrator  of  this  invidi- 
ous deed.  The  Selectmen  offered  a  reward  of 
^500,  to  any  one  who  would  detect  and  bring  to 
justice  the  assassin. 

A  young  man  by  the  name  of  George  Stacy 
was  apprehended  and  tried  before  a  Justice  of 
the  Peace  in  Gardner  ;  the  evidence  was  so  much 
against  him,  that  he  was  committed  for  a  further 
hearing  before  the  Supreme  Court,  at  Worcester. 
The  Grand  Jury  found  a  bill  against  him,  and 
the  case  went  to  the  Trial  Jury,  but  their  ver- 
dict was  not  guilty. 


225  TOWN  HISTORY —CASUALTIES. 

Their  funeral  was  attended  at  the  meeting- 
house the  next  Sabbath  by  a  large  congregation ; 
Eev.  A.  Stowell  preached  a  sermon  from  these 
words : 

*'  They  were  lovely  and  pleasant  in  their  lives,  and  in  their 
death  they  were  not  divided."     2nd  Samuel,  1st  e.,  23d  v. 

The  congregation  was  so  large  that  part  of 
them  repaired  to  the  town  hall,  where  Rev.  J. 
C.  Paine  preached  from  the  text  found  in  Prov- 
erbs, 4th,  2Tth. 

"Turn  not  to  the  right  hand  nor  to  the  left :  remove  thy 
feet  from  evil." 

The  subjects  of  this  murder  were  daughters 
of  Timothy  Kneeland,  Avhose  name  has  been 
mentioned  among  the  early  settlers  of  Gardner. 
Miss  Kneeland  was  85  years  of  age,  and  Mrs. 
Phinney,  75.  For  a  number  of  years  they  were 
the  only  occupants  of  the  house.  They  were 
humble  and  exemplary  christians. 

In  1856,  Mrs.  Lorenzo  Cheney  died  in  conse- 
quence of  being  burnt ;  a  fluid  lamp  was  broken 
setting  fire  to  her  clothes,  and  burned  her  so 
badly  that  she  lived  but  a  few  hours.  Her  age 
was  48. 

In  1857,  Hammond  Hardy,  aged  21,  was  frozen 
so  that  he  died.  George  W.  Davis,  aged  68,  was 
drowned. 


TOWN  HISTORY.— CEMETERIES. 


127 


In  1859,  a  son  of  Lyman  Fenno,  four  years  of 
age,  fell  into  a  shiner-box  and  being  too  small  to 
get  out  alone,  was  frozen  ;  he  was  not  discovered 
until  death  had  completed  its  mission.  A  son 
of  Mr.  Flinn,  two  years  of  age,  was  drowned  in 
a  well.  A  son  of  John  Hyde,  four  years  of  age, 
was  drowned. 

Small  Pox.  There  were  four  deaths  from 
small  pox  in  1854,  and  two  in  1855. 

Suicide.  There  have  been  seven  deaths  by 
suicide  within  the  last  fifty  years. 

Only  one  resident  in  town  has  been  known  to 
arrive  at  the  age  of  one  hundred ;  a  man  by  the 
name  of  Chapel,  of  English  birth,  died  in  Gard- 
ner, about  the  year  1820,  aged  103. 

Since  1830,  there  have  been  782  deaths;  11 
between  ninety  and  one  hundred ;  48  between 
eighty  and  ninety  ;  139  between  fifty  and  eighty  ; 
153  between  twenty-five  and  fifty ;  88  between 
fifteen  and  twenty-five  ;  343  under  fifteen. 


CEMETEEIES. 

The  burying-ground,  lying  north  of  the  com- 
mon, is  owned  by  the  town  ;  the  land  was  bought 
of  Seth  Heywood,  in  1785;  some  years  after. 


190  TOWN  HISTOKY.— CEMETERIES. 

an  addition  was  made  to  it  on  the  west  side. 
In  1847,  a  tomb  was  built  at  the  east  end,  for  the 
use  of  the  town. 

In  November,  1849,  several  of  the  inhabitants 
of  South  Gardner,  made  application  to  Asaph 
Wood,  Esq.,  to  issue  a  warrant  to  some  one  of 
the  persons  named  in  the  said  application,  to 
meet  at  the  office  of  Dr.  H.  C.  llarriman,  to  or- 
ganize into  a  company,  to  be  called  the  South 
Gardner  Green  Bower  Cemetery  Company. 

The  persons  met  agreeably  to  notice,  and  voted 
to  organize,  according  to  the  law  made  and  pro- 
vided for  in  such  cases,  into  a  company  with  the 
above  name ;  and  made  choice  of  S.  W.  A.  Ste- 
vens, for  Clerk,  and  II.  C.  Harriman,  Modera- 
tor. 

The  officers  of  the  company  are,  five  Direc- 
tors, or  Trustees,  one  of  whom  shall  be  Presi- 
dent, a  Treasurer  and  Clerk. 

A  code  of  by-laws  was  adopted  for  the  regu- 
lation of  the  company ;  and  a  piece  of  land  was 
purchased  for  the  cemetery,  south  of  the  village, 
of  Mr.  John  Sawin,  which  was  fenced,  and  pre- 
pared, and  laid  out  into  lots  for  burial  purposes, 
and  has  since  been  occupied  as  such.  In  1858, 
the  town  voted  to  build  a  tomb  in  said  cemetery, 
which  has  been  completed. 


TOWN  HISTOKY.— JUSTICES  OF  THE  PEACE.  jj^QQ 

August  7tli,  1858,  the  Town  voted  to  purchase 
some  land,  near  the  west  village,  for  a  new  ceme- 
tery, and  chose  Elisha  S.  Jackson,  John  W.  Hill, 
and  Francis  Kichardson,  a  committee  for  that 
purpose ;  they  bought  ten  acres  of  land :  seven 
or  eight  acres  of  Dea.  Asa  Perley,  and  two  of 
S.  W.  Bancroft.  The  land  lies  west  of  Crystal 
Lake,  and  is  called  Crystal  Lake  Cemetery. 

Considerable  labor  and  expense  is  now  being 
bestowed  upon  it,  and  it  has  the  appearance  of 
being  a  beautiful  place  (when  completed)  for 
the  reception  of  the  dead. 


JUSTICES  OF  THE  PEACE. 

Aaron  Wood,  Simeon  Leland,  William  Whit- 
ney, Smyrna  Glazier,  Asaph  Wood,  Francis  Rich- 
ardson, Lewis  H.  Bradford,  Rufus  New^ton,  S. 
W.  A.  Stevens,  John  Edgell,  Thomas  E.  Glazier, 
Thorley  Collester,  and  C.  W.  Carter.  The  last 
mentioned  one  is  an  attorney  at  law. 


MEDICAL  PEACTITIONERS. 

Joseph  Boyden  was  probably  the  first  physi- 
cian in  Gardner.     Soon  after  he  came  into  town, 

12 


130 


TOWN  HISTORY.— MEDICAL  PRACTITIONERS. 


Eev.  J.  Osgood  united  the  medical  to  his  cleri- 
cal office ;  there  not  being  practice  enough  for 
both,  Dr.  Boyden  left  the  place.  Mr.  Osgood 
was  the  only  physician  in  town  for  nearly  thirty 
years. 

Dr.  Howard  practiced  medicine  here  a  few 
years.  In  1822,  Horace  Parker,  from  Westford, 
came  to  Gardner ;  after  practicing  medicine 
about  seven  years,  his  health  failed  and  he  re- 
turned to  Westford,  where  he  died  soon  after. 

In  1823,  David  Parker  came  into  town;  after 
studying  awhile  with  his  brother  Horace,  he 
commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  with  him, 
which  he  has  continued  to  the  present  time. 
After  the  death  of  his  brother,  he  was  for  many 
years  the  only  physician  in  town. 

Occasionally  a  physician  would  locate  here 
until  a  better  opening  might  be  found.  Dr.  San- 
born practiced  in  the  south  village  a  short  time. 
Dr.  Carpenter,  Dr.  Harriman,  Dr.  Warner,  and 
Dr.  Jewett,  have  also  been  located  as  physicians 
here.  Dr.  Sawyer  and  Dr.  Macomber  are  now 
practising  physicians  in  the  place;  the  one  last 
mentioned  is  of  the  homoeopathic  order. 

W.  H.  H.  Hinds,  dentist,  resided  in  town  seven 
or  eight  years,  when  he  sold  out  in  1859  to  Dr. 
E.  D.  Gaylord. 


TOWN  HISTORY —SCHOOLS.  ]^3| 

Nathan  S.  Lincoln,  son  of  Rev.  Sumner  Lin- 
coln, fitted  for  college  at  Springfield,  Mass.,  and 
graduated  at  Dartmouth  College  in  1850.  Stud- 
ied medicine  in  Baltimore,  Md.;  commenced  the 
practice  of  medicine  in  the  city  of  Washington 
in  1853,  where  he  still  resides. 

Albert  Kendall,  son  of  Hubbard  Kendall, 
studied  with  Dr.  Harriman,  of  Gardner,  and  at- 
tended the  Medical  College  at  New  York,  where 
he  received  his  diploma  for  a  physician,  in  which 
practice  he  is  now  engaged  at  Newton  Lower 
Falls. 


SCHOOLS. 

In  1787,  the  town  was  divided  into  four  school 
districts,  and  granted  twenty  pounds  to  be  ex- 
pended in  schooling.  Previous  to  that  time  what 
education  the  children  received  was  given  in  a 
private  capacity;  for  nine  years  the  schools  were 
kept  in  dwelling-houses.  In  1796,  the  town 
granted  250  pounds  to  build  school-houses. 

In  1818  the  town  was  new  districted  and  di- 
vided into  six  school  districts  ;  the  school  money 
has  been  increased  from  year  to  year  until  the 
present  time,  w^hen  ^2,000  is  appropriated  to 
that  use.     The  people  of  Gardner  attach  great 


■I  QO  TOWN  HISTORY.— SCHOOLS. 

importance  to  the  system  of  common  school  edu- 
cation ;  this  may  be  noticed  in  their  school-houses, 
all  of  which  have  been  built  new,  or  repaired 
within  a  few  years.  In  1858,  district  No.  1 
erected  a  beautiful  and  commodious  house,  with 
four  departments,  at  a  cost  of  ^10,000.  In  the 
same  year,  district  No.  3  erected  a  house  with 
three  departments,  at  a  cost  of  §5,000.  Much 
pains  has  been  taken  in  selecting  teachers,  giving 
the  children  and  youth  an  opportunity  to  acquire 
an  education  sufficient  to  qualify  them  for  the 
active  business  of  life.  A  high  school  is  often 
kept  in  the  center  of  the  town.  There  is  also  a 
fund  of  §1,000,  belonging  to  the  south  village, 
the  income  of  which  is  to  be  paid  for  the  sup- 
port of  a  school.  The  donor  Avas  Abijah  M. 
Severy.  We  find  from  the  report  of  the  School 
Committee,  that  in  the  year  1858,  the  number  of 
public  schools  kept  in  town  was  twenty-five  ;  an 
increase  in  number  of  six  over  the  preceding 
year ;  their  average  length  was  six  and  a  half 
months. 

The  number  of  persons  in  town  between  five 
and  fifteen  years  of  age,  according  to  the  last 
enumeration,  was  482. 


TOWN  HISTORY.— BUSINESS. 


BUSINESS. 


133 


The  principal  business  of  this  town  for  the 
first  fifty  years  after  its  settlement,  was  farming. 
There  were  several  coopers,  but  none  that  car- 
ried on  an  extensive  business.  About  the  year 
1805,  Mr.  James  M.  Comee  commenced  on  a 
small  scale  the  manufacture  of  chairs.  The  only 
machinery  used  then  in  making  chairs  was  an 
ordinary  foot-lathe  for  turning  some  parts  of  the 
stock  then  used,  the  rest  of  the  work  was  done 
entirely  by  hand.  This  may  be  considered  the 
commencement  of  chair  manufacturing  in  New 
England,  as,  before  it  was  done  solely  in  con- 
nection with  cabinet  work.  Mr.  Comee  continued 
in  this  business  a  number  of  years  without  com- 
petition. But  at  length,  as  it  proved  to  be  lucra- 
tive, and  in  the  way  it  was  carried  on  at  that 
time,  requiring  but  little  capital  to  commence 
with,  it  was  taken  up  by  one  and  another  until 
it  has  now  become  the  principal  business  of  the 
town,  and  is  carried  on  to  some  extent  in  the 
neighboring  towns.  Mr.  Comee  acquired  a  hand- 
some estate,  and  was  a  man  much  respected  by 
his  townsmen ;  he  lived  one-fourth  of  a  mile 
east  of  the  center  of  the  town,  where  Mrs.  A. 
Gates  now  resides.     The  rise  and  progress  of 

12^ 


134 


TOWN  HISTORY.— BUSINESS. 


the  chair  business  in  this  town  if  written  in  de- 
tail, might  be  interesting,  but  as  I  have  not  the 
facts  sufficient,  I  shall  confine  myself  to  some 
general  statements : 

For  many  years  the  only  machinery  used  was 
a  foot-lathe.  When  water-power  was  first  ap- 
plied to  the  turning-lathe,  it  was  a  matter  of 
astonishment  to  many,  to  see  with  what  rapidity 
the  work  was  done.  Next  came  the  circular  saw 
to  prepare  the  timber  for  the  lathe ;  and  machine 
has  followed  machine  to  the  present  time,  and  a 
large  part  of  the  work  is  now  done  with  them. 

The  annual  amount  of  chair  business  may  be 
set  in  round  numbers  at  ^550,000.  Number  of 
men  employed,  450 ;  number  of  chairs  made, 
620,000 ;  amount  paid  for  seating  the  same, 
^55,000  ;  which  last  is  done  by  women  and  chil- 
dren. 

The  largest  establishment  for  chair-making  in 
town,  and  probably  the  largest  in  the  United 
States,  is  that  of  the  Hey  wood  Chair  Manufac- 
turing Company.  Their  factory  is  situated  on 
the  stream  flowing  from  Crystal  Lake,  and  near 
its  outlet ;  for  motive  power  they  use  both  water 
and  steam;  they  employ  over  200  men,  and  manu- 
facture 200,000  chairs  annually,  varying  in  prices 
from  §6  to  §120  per  dozen,  making  an  aggregate 


TOWN  HISTORY.— BUSINESS. 


135 


amount  of  ^230,000.  The  amount  paid  by  them 
for  seating,  is  ^18,000  annually.  In  addition  to 
the  above,  the  same  company  manufacture  50,000 
gallons  of  varnish  annually,  valued  at  ^83,000, 
8,000  of  which  is  used  by  themselves  in  finish- 
ing chairs.  The  business  of  this  company  in 
1849,  was  one  hundred  thousand  dollars :  in 
1859,  three  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Their 
office  in  Boston  is  113  Fulton  street. 

The  following  table  will  show  the  amount  of 
chair  business  done  by  individuals  and  compa- 
nies, at  the  present  time  : 


Heywood  Chair  )  (Chairs,) 

Manuf.  Co.,      )  (Varnish,) 
Collester,  Rugg  &  Co., 
L.  H.  Sawin, 
E.  Wright  &  Co.,      .     . 
P.  Derby,        .... 
A.  White  &  Co.,       .     . 
Greenwood  &  Wright,  . 
S.  K.  Pierce,        .     .     . 
W.  Hogan  &  Co.,     .     . 
Grreenwood  and  Nichols, 
John  Sawin  &  Co.,   .     . 
E.  C.  &  0.  A.  Travers, 
Asa  Perley,     .... 


nual 
t.  of 
mess. 

S  5— ' 

fl   S   "3 

^1^ 

^^y 

$230,000 

210. 

70,000 

30,000 

20 

24,000 

17 

24,000 

15 

16,000 

17 

20,000 

25 

75,000 

40 

60,000 

45 

40,000 

30 

10,000 

5 

8,000 

7 

6,000 

4 

5,000 

7 

■^    tw    -^ 


S    "^-i    _G 


25,000 
30,000 
40,000 
16,000 
36,000 
100,000 
50,000 
80,000 

7,800 
26,000 
10,000 

6,000 


$18,000 

3,500 
4,000 
3,000 
2,000 
4,000 
8,000 
7,000 
5,000 
1,000 

700 
400 


The  apparent  discrepancy  in  the  above  table. 


■I  Qg  TOWN   HISTORY.— BUSINESS. 

may  be  reconciled  from  the  fact  that  some  manu- 
facturers make  more  of  the  higher  priced  chairs 
than  others,  and  some  increase  the  amount  of 
their  business  by  painting  more  or  less  of  the 
chairs  they  manufacture.  To  the  above,  we  may 
add  the  business  of  A.  H.  Brick,  in  painting 
chairs ;  his  shop  is  near  the  depot,  and  he  em- 
ploys fifteen  hands,  and  finishes  about  50,000 
chairs  a  year,  making  the  whole  amount  of  chair 
business  of  the  town,  nearly  §600,000. 

There  is  one  Pail  and  Tub  factory  in  tovra, 
owned  and  occupied  by  Amasa  Bancroft.  He 
employs  twelve  men  and  makes  8,000  nests  of 
tubs,  and  30,000  pails,  annually;  valued  at 
§15,500. 

The  Mercantile  business  of  the  town,  exclu- 
sive of  flour  and  grain,  may  be  set  at  §180,000, 
and  is  done  at  the  present  time  by  A.  S.  Wood, 
Stevens  &  Greenwood,  Warren  &  Marean,  N. 
B.  Howe,  Rugg  &  Osgood,  Wood  «fc  Bryant,  G. 
W.  Black,  G.  T.  Ellsworth,  and  L.  D.  Lyon. 

There  are  in  the  town  nine  saw-mills,  one 
grist-mill,  (Xichols  &  Baker's,  who  are  doing  a 
business  of  §30,000  annually,  in  flour,  grain  and 
meal ;)  one  bakery,  one  tin-shop,  three  black- 
smith's shops,  one  jeweller,  two  public  houses, 
four  livery  stables  and  two  post  offices. 


TOWN  HISTORY— LIBE ARIES.  j^g"^ 

LIBE  ARIES. 

There  are  four  circulating  libraries  in  town ; 
one  in  the  south  village,  and  three  in  the  center 
of  the  town, — one  of  which  is  an  Agricultural 
Library :  there  is  also  one  in  each  school  district. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    HISTORY. 

Agreeably  to  letters  missive  from  a  number  of 
brethren  who  were  church  members  residing  in 
Gardner,  an  Ecclesiastical  Council  convened  at 
the  house  of  John  Glazier,  Feb.  1st,  1786,  in 
order  to  lead  and  assist  them  in  forming  a  church 
of  Christ  in  said  town,  consisting  of  delegates 
from  the  churches  in  Westminster,  Templeton, 
Winchendon  and  Ashburnham. 

Voted,  Eev.  Mr.  Eice,  Moderator,  and  Eev. 
Mr.  Cushing,  Scribe. 

There  were  twenty-six  members  of  other 
churches  present,  desirous  of  forming  themselves 
into  a  church  of  Christ ;  seven  others  united  with 
them  by  profession. 

The  Moderator,  in  the  name  of  the  Council, 
tendered  to  them  as  a  regular  church  of  Christ, 
the  fellowship  of  the  churches,  and  exhorted  them 
to  walk  in  the  faith  and  order  of  the  gospel. 


138 


TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTOEY. 


After  the  exercises,  upon  a  motion  made  in 
the  ]3resenee  of  the  Council,  the  Church  chose 
the  E-ev.  Mr.  Rice  as  their  standing  Moderator, 
with  all  consenting  that  they  should  choose  an 
occasional  Moderator  among  themselves  as  they 
should  need.     The  Council  then  dissolved. 

J.  CusHiNG,  Scribe. 

At  this  early  period,  towns  and  parishes  were 
identical,  and  a  tax  was  levied  by  law  for  the 
support  of  the  gospel. 

The  following  was  the  covenant  of  that  early 
church,  there  being  no  articles  of  faith. 

Form  of  Covenant 

"We,  whose  names  are  hereunto  subscribed,  apprehending 
ourselves  called  of  God  unto  the  church  state  of  the  gospel, 
do  first  of  all  confess  ourselves  unworthy  to  be  so  highly 
favored  of  the  Lord,  and  admire  that  free,  rich  grace  of  his 
which  triumphs  over  so  great  unworthiness.  And  thus  with 
humble  reliance  on  the  aids  of  grace,  therein  promise  for 
them  that  in  a  sense  of  their  inability  to  do  any  good  there- 
by, do  humbly  wait  on  him  for  all.  Thankfully  laying  hold 
of  his  covenant,  we  would  choose  the  things  that  please  him. 
We  declare  our  serious  belief  of  the  christian  religion  as 
contained  in  the  said  scriptures,  and  with  such  a  view  there- 
of as  the  confessions  of  faith  in  other  churches  has  exhibited, 
heartily  resolving  to  conform  our  lives  unto  the  rules  of  that 
holy  religion,  as  long  as  we  live  in  the  world.     We  give  up 


TOWN  HISTOKY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


139 


ourselves  unto  the  blessed  Jesus  who  is  the  Lord  Jehovah, 
and  adhere  to  him  as  the  head  of  his  people,  in  the  covenant 
of  his  grace,  and  rely  on  him  as  our  Priest,  Prophet  and 
King,  to  bring  us  unto  eternal  blessedness.  We  acknowl- 
edge our  everlasting  and  indispensable  obligations  to  glorify 
God,  in  all  the  duties  of  a  godly  and  righteous  life :  very 
particularly  in  the  duties  of  a  church  state,  as  a  body  of 
people  appointed  in  obedience  to  him  in  all  the  ordinances 
of  the  gospel.  And  we  therefore  depend  upon  his  generous 
assistance  for  our  faithful  discharge  of  the  duties  thus  in- 
cumbent upon  us.  We  desire  and  intend,  with  dependance 
on  his  promised  and  powerful  grace  to  walk  together  as  a 
church  of  the  son  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  faith  and  order  of  the 
gospel,  so  far  as  we  shall  have  the  same  revealed  unto  us. 
Constantly  attending  the  public  worship  of  God,  the  sacra- 
ments of  New  Testament,  and  the  discipline  of  his  kingdom, 
and  all  his  holy  institutions  in  communion  with  one  another, 
and  watchfully  avoiding  sinful  stumbling-blocks  and  conten- 
tions, as  become  a  people  whom  the  Son  hath  bound  up  to- 
gether in  a  bundle  of  life.  At  the  same  time  we  do  also 
present  our  offspring  with  us  unto  the  Lord  ;  professing  with 
his  help  to  maintain  the  daily  worship  of  God  in  our  houses, 
and  to  do  our  part  in  all  other  methods  that  our  children 
may  be  the  Lord's.  And  all  this  we  do,  fleeing  to  the  blood 
of  the  everlasting  Covenant  for  the  pardon  of  our  many 
sins  ;  and  praying  that  the  gracious  Lord,  who  is  the  great 
Shepherd,  would  prepare  and  strengthen  us  for  every  good 
work,  to  do  his  will,  working  in  us  that  which  is  well-pleas- 
ing in  his  sight,  to  whom  be  glory  forever  and  ever.    Amen." 

At  a  meeting  in  March,  1789,  the  town  voted 
to  raise  £20,  (or  ^66,67,)  to  hire  preaching  the 


140 


TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


present  year ;  voted  that  the  committee  for  hiring 
preaching,  employ  Rev.  Frederick  Parker. 

In  October,  they  voted  to  hire  Mr.  Parker  six 
Sabbaths  ;  also,  to  unite  with  the  church  in  giv- 
ing him  a  call,  which  was  done. 

His  answer  was  in  the  negative.  The  people 
were  so  anxious  to  have  him  for  their  minister, 
that  they  chose  a  Committee  of  two  to  make  fur- 
ther proposals  to  him,  such  as  they  anticipated 
he  would  accept,  but  all  of  no  avail. 

July  21st,  1791,  the  inhabitants  of  the  town 
were  legally  called  together,  for  the  purpose  of 
showing  their  minds  with  regard  to  giving  Rev. 
Jonathan  Osgood  a  call  to  settle  in  the  work  of 
the  gospel  ministry  in  Gardner;  sixty-four  in 
favor,  and  three  otherwise. 

MR.  OSGOOD'S  ANSWER. 

To  the  Church  and  Congregation  in  Gardner  : 

Bkethkex  and  Friends  : 

Whereas  in  the  Providence  of  God  you  have 
seen  fit  to  give  me  an  invitation  to  settle  with  you  in  the 
work  of  the  gospel  ministry,  I  have  taken  it  into  serious 
consideration,  advised  with  my  friends  and  fathers  in  the 
ministry,  and  devoted  myself  to  God  in  solemn  prayer  for 
direction,  in  a  matter  of  so  much  importance.  I  feel  my 
own  inability  to  undertake  so  great  a  work.  But  being  con- 
fident of  the  mighty  power   of  God,  and  knowing  that  the 


TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


141 


great  head  of  the  church  is  able  to  support  those  who  put 
their  trust  in  him,  I  hope  he  will  afford  me  his  grace,  that  I 
may  be  enabled  to  carry  on  so  great  a  work,  and  at  the 
same  time  relying  that  you  will,  by  your  prayers,  strive  with 
me  at  the  throne  of  grace,  that  I  may  be  upheld  in  such  an 
arduous  undertaking,  and  enabled  to  discharge  the  duty  of 
a  faithful  minister  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  trust  that  you  will 
endeavor  to  strengthen  my  hands  by  your  christian  conduct, 
and  that  you  will  be  desirous  that  harmony  should  be  kept 
up  with  the  neighboring  churches,  and  that  I  should  fre- 
quently exchange  with  my  brethren,  the  clergy.  The  pro- 
posals you  have  made  me  for  my  support  are  according  to 
the  infancy  of  the  town.  If  at  any  future  period,  as  you 
increase  in  wealth,  I  should  stand  in  need,  I  trust  you  will 
be  ready  to  afford  me  relief.  I  shall  depend  that  you  punc- 
tually fulfill  the  proposals  you  have  made.  Relying  on  your 
candor,  and  trusting  you  will  strive  with  me  to  build  up  the 
cause  and  kingdom  of  the  great  Redeemer  in  this  place,  and 
taking  every  circumstance  into  consideration,  I  think  it  my 
duty  to  answer  you  in  the  affirmative.  I  now  affirm  that  I 
accept  your  invitation  to  settle  with  you  in  the  work  of  the 
gospel  ministry,  reserving  to  myself,  according  to  custom, 
two  or  three  Sabbaths  in  a  year,  as  occasion  may  require,  to 
visit  my  friends. 

As  it  is  for  the  interest  of  religion  and  the  welfare  of  so- 
ciety, that  peace,  concord,  and  universal  benevolence  pre- 
vail, let  us  strive  to  maintain  them  in  our  own  minds,  and 
inculcate  the  importance  of  them  upon  others.  Let  us  all 
seek  the  great  head  of  the  church  for  support,  and  may  we 
conduct  ourselves  as  the  true  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
walk  together  as  heirs  of  the  grace  of  life.  That  God 
may  delight  to  dwell  among  you,  that  he  may  afford  you  the 

13 


1^2         TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 

influence  of  his  Holy  Spirit,  that  you  may  overcome  all 
things  which  shall  oppose  you  in  your  christian  course,  that 
you  at  last  may  come  off  conquerors  through  Jesus  Christ, 
and  be  made  partakers  of  the  inheritance  of  the  saints  in 
life,  is  the  earnest  prayer  of  your  friend  and  brother. 

Jonathan  Osgood. 

•  Gardner,  Sept.  17th,  1791. 

At  this  period  ministers  were  settled  for  life. 
The  conditions  of  Mr.  Osgood's  settlement  were 
£58,  one-half  of  it  to  be  paid  in  one  year,  and 
the  remainder  in  two  years  from  his  installation. 
His  salary  was  to  be  £75  (or  ^250)  a  year,  so 
long  as  he  should  continue  to  preach. 

At  a  subsequent  meeting,  the  town  voted  to 
take  from  his  settlement  £18  (or  ^60,)  and  add 
to  his  salary  twenty  cords  of  hard  wood. 

Mr.  Osgood  was  ordained  October  19th,  1791. 
The  churches  participating  on  that  occasion,  were 
from  Andover,  Westminster,  Hubbardston,  Tem- 
pleton,  Winchendon,  Ashburnham,  Bolton,  Lit- 
tleton and  Boxford. 

The  Eev.  Mr.  French,  of  Andover,  introduced 
the  solemnities  with  prayer :  Eev.  Mr.  Foster, 
of  Littleton,  delivered  the  sermon:  Eev.  Mr. 
Sparhawk,  of  Templeton,  made  the  ordaining 
prayer :  Eev.  Mr.  Eice,  of  Westminster,  gave  the 
charge  :  Eev.  Mr.  Brown,  of  Winchendon,  be- 
stowed the  right  hand  of  fellowship :  Eev.  Mr. 


TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  1  ^Q 

Wright,  of  Bolton,  offered  the  concluding  prayer. 

Mr.  Osgood  was  born  at  Westford  in  1762. 
He  began  after  he  was  of  age  to  secure  an  edu- 
cation, graduated  at  Yale  College,  and  studied 
theology  with  Eev.  Mr.  Foster,  of  Littleton. 

His  congregation,  though  not  very  large,  em- 
braced the  whole  town.  As  there  was  no  phy- 
sician in  town  during  the  first  years  of  Mr. 
Osgood's  ministry,  he  commenced  the  practice 
of  medicine,  which  he  continued  until  his  death ; 
although  a  portion  of  his  time  was  devoted  to 
the  healing  art,  yet  he  was  not  considered  neg- 
lectful of  the  care  and  spiritual  wants  of  his  flock. 

He  bought  some  land  and  built  a  house  (where 
now  lives  Mr.  Henry  Lawrence)  soon  after  he 
came  here.  When  all  was  completed  he  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  Mr.  Wardsworth,  of  Farming- 
ton,  Conn.  It  was  thought  to  be  a  great  time 
here  when  he  came  with  his  bride  ;  a  company 
of  young  people  met  them  at  Barre  and  escorted 
them  to  their  new  home,  where  many  of  his 
people  were  assembled,  bringing  with  them  pro- 
visions of  every  description  as  a  token  of  love 
and  respect  for  their  minister. 

Mr.  Osgood  Avas  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary 
ability,  and  was  the  only  minister  and  physician 
of  the  town  during  his  life.      He  died  on  the 


-lAA  TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 

22d  of  May,  1822,  in  the  61st  year  of  his  age  and 
31st  of  his  ministry :  his  funeral  (the  expenses 
of  which  were  defrayed  by  the  town)  was  at- 
tended at  the  meeting-house  by  a  large  con- 
course of  people.  The  neighboring  clergymen 
were  invited  to  assist  in  the  services.  Eev.  Mr. 
Easterbrook,  of  Athol,  preached  a  sermon  from 
the  text  "Jesus  wept."  His  death  was  lamented 
by  a  large  circle  of  friends,  by  whom  he  was 
greatly  esteemed  and  beloved.  His  character  is 
briefly  delineated  in  the  following  lines : 

"Cautious  Hmself,  he  otliers  ne'er  deceived, 
Lived  as  lie  taught,  and  taught  as  he  believed." 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Osgood,  the  parish 
listened  to  several  candidates  for  settlement 
without  being  able  to  unite  on  any  one  as  their 
pastor ;  they  at  length  gave  a  call  to  Eev.  Ed- 
mund Sewell,  which  was  declined. 

May  3d,  1824,  the  parish  voted  a  call  to  Mr. 
Lincoln,  who  had  been  supplying  them  for  a 
season.  Mr.  Lincoln  accepted  the  call,  and  was 
ordained  and  installed  June  16th,  1824. 

Immediately  after  the  settlement  of  Rev.  Mr. 
Lincoln,  the  church  adopted  the  following  cove 
nant,  instead  of  the  one  of  1786. 

"You  acknowledge  the  Bible  to  be  a  true  and  faithful  re- 
cord of  the  will  of  G-od  respecting  mankind.     You  receive 


TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


145 


it  as  the  only  rule  of  your  religious  faith  and  practice.  In 
religion  you  call  no  man  Master ;  for  one  is  your  Master, 
even  Christ.  You  believe  Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Son  of 
Grod.  To  us  Christians,  you  believe,  as  the  Apostle  Paul 
says,  that  there  is  but  one  Grod,  the  Father,  of  whom  are  all 
things  and  we  in  him  ;  and  one  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom 
are  all  things  and  we  in  him.  In  the  presence  of  the  heart- 
searching  Grod  and  this  religious  assembly,  you  solemnly 
avouch  the  Lord  Jehovah  to  be  your  God,  your  Creator, 
your  Redeemer,  and  your  Sanctifier.  Repenting  of  all  your 
past  sins,  you  promise  in  future,  constantly  to  endeavor,  by 
the  aid  of  Grod,  to  render  your  life  conformable  to  his  re- 
quirements. You  promise,  by  becoming  a  member  of  the 
visible  church  of  Christ  in  this  place,  to  submit  to  the  gospel 
discipline,  rules  and  regulations,  as  established  and  prac- 
ticed in  the  same."     (Amen.) 

"Thus  you  acknowledge  and  promise." 

"We,  then,  as  members  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  welcome 
you  to  our  fellowship  and  communion,  at  the  table  of  our 
common  Lord,  whose  body  was  broken,  and  whose  blood 
was  shed  for  the  remission  of  sin.  We  promise,  expecting 
the  same  from  you  towards  us,  to  exercise  over  you  the 
watchfulness  of  Christian  love.  May  the  peace  of  God  make 
us  perfect  to  do  his  will,  that  we  may  walk  together  as 
brethren  ;  preserving  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bonds  of 
peace  ;  making  us  to  abound  in  every  good  word  and  work  ; 
at  last  possessing  a  character  adorned  with  every  Christian 
virtue,  may  we  all  be  so  happy  as  to  meet  in  the  mansions 
of  heaven,  and  unite  our  voices  with  an  innumerable  multi- 
tude, in  the  song  of  blessing  and  honor,  glory  and  power  to 
him  that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb,  forever, 
and  ever."     Amen. 

13* 


146  TOWN  HISTORY —ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 

Mr.  Lincoln  continued  to  be  the  minister  of 
the  Congregational  Church  for  six  succeeding 
years ;  when,  what  was  then  called  exclusive 
measures  were  adopted  by  the  ministers  of  this 
association;  the  more  liberal  part  taking  one 
side  and  calling  themselves  Unitarians,  w^hile 
the  more  Calvinistic,  taking  the  opposite  side, 
were  known  by  the  name  of  Orthodox.  The 
liberals  being  in  the  majority,  retained  the  meet- 
ing-house ;  Mr.  Lincoln  taking  the  Orthodox 
side,  with  a  part  of  the  church,  left  and  formed 
a  new  society,  called  the  Evangelical  Congrega- 
tional Society  of  Gardner.  The  separation  of 
the  church  took  place  in  the  autumn  of  1830. 
In  December  following,  Kev.  Jonathan  Farr  was 
ordained  over  the  Congregational  Church,  and 
w^as  dismissed,  at  his  request,  in  July  1833. 

Rev.  Curtis  Cutler  accepted  an  invitation  to 
become  their  pastor,  and  was  ordained  Oct.  30th, 
1833  ;  his  pastorate  was  about  five  years.  Mr. 
Cutler  was  dismissed  at  his  own  request,  though 
granted  with  reluctance  by  his  people. 

The  pulpit  was  then  supplied  for  a  time  by 
Rev.  G.  W.  Stacy,  w^ho  labored  with  much  suc- 
cess in  the  cause  of  his  Master. 

Rev.  W.  H.  Fish  was  their  next  supply,  and 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.    Mr.   Banister.      From 


TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


147 


which  time  it  has  been  considered  an  Orthodox 
church. 

Rev.  J.  C.  Paine  came  to  Gardner  in  1847,  and 
preached  his  first  sermon  on  the  last  Sabbath  in 
September.  He  received  a  unanimous  call  to 
settle,  which  he  accepted,  and  was  installed  Jan. 
12th,  1848. 

The  society  had  recently  remodeled  their 
meeting-house  at  a  cost  of  about  five  thousand 
dollars.  The  church  and  society  were  then 
small,  but  soon  began  to  increase,  and  have  kept 
steadily  on  to  the  present  time,  (Feb.,  1859,)  so 
that  now  there  is  no  spare  pew  to  be  rented. 
About  one  hundred  have  been  added  to  the 
church,  and  it  now  numbers  one  hundred  and 
twenty. 

Having  in  1824  adopted,  and,  for  about  thirty 
years,  held  the  same  creed  of  the  2d  church,  in 
Feb.,  1857,  the  church  voted  to  change  their 
creed,  and  they  adopted  another,  which  is  as 
follows  : 

ARTICLES  OF  FAITH. 

1st.  You  believe  there  is  but  one  God,  the  Father,  of 
whom  are  all  things,  and  one  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom 
are  all  things,  and  we  by  him. 

2d.  You  believe  the  Bible  is  of  divine  inspiration,  and 
should  be  received  as  the  supreme  rule  of  faith  and  practice. 


148 


TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


3d.  You  believe  tliat  God  lias  appointed  all  things,  and 
works  all  things  according  to  his  counsel,  so  that  all  who 
believe  on  him  may  he  saved,  and  he  himself  glorified. 

4th.  You  believe  that  man  was  at  first  created  upright, 
but  by  his  own  voluntary  act  he  sinned,  in  consequence  of 
which  all  are  involved  in  sin,  become  voluntary  sinners,  and 
are  without  holiness. 

5th.  You  believe  that  in  consequence  of  sin  man  needs 
a  change  of  heart,  (which  is  efi'ected  through  the  influence 
of  the  Spirit,)  in  order  that  he  may  be  fitted  for  the  service 
of  God  and  for  heaven. 

6th.  You  believe  that  faith,  love,  and  repentance  are  the 
terms  on  which  man  can  receive  forgiveness,  and  by  the 
grace  of  God  be  saved. 

7th.  You  believe  that  the  Christian  graces  will  produce 
in  man  good  works,  which  may  be  received  as  evidences  of 
faith,  but  not  as  the  ground  of  justification. 

8th.  You  believe  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  his  suf- 
ferings and  death,  has  made  ample  atonement  for  all  man- 
kind, so  that  all  who  will  comply  with  the  terms  of  the  gos- 
pel may  receive  eternal  life. 

9th.  You  believe  that  there  is  to  be  a  resurrection  of  the 
dead,  that  God  will  call  all  to  an  account,  and  that  each  will 
receive  sentence.  "  The  wicked  shall  go  away  into  ever- 
lasting punishment,  but  the  righteous  into  life  eternal." 

10th.  You  believe  the  Sabbath  to  be  a  divine  institution, 
and  that  all  are  therefore  under  obligations  to  "Remember 
the  Sabbath  day  to  keep  it  holy." 

11th.  You  believe  that  the  Lord's  Supper  and  Baptism 
are  ordinances  of  the  Christian  church,  and  should  be  ob- 
served by  all  the  members  of  the  church  ;  and  that  the  sub- 
jects of  Baptism  are  believers  and  their  households. 


TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


149 


FORM  OF  COVENANT. 

You  do  now,  in  the  presence  of  the  heart-searching  Grod, 
and  this  religious  assembly,  avouch  the  Lord  Jehovah  to  be 
your  Grod,  your  Creator,  your  Redeemer  and  your  Sanctifier. 

You  promise,  by  the  assistance  of  his  grace,  to  live  in 
conformity  to  his  requirements ;  and  that  by  uniting  with 
the  church  of  Christ  in  this  place,  to  submit  to  the  gospel 
discipline,  rules  and  regulations,  as  established  and  practiced 
in  the  same. 

I  do  now,  in  the  name  of  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church, 
pronounce  you  to  be  his,  and  entitled  to  all  the  blessings 
and  privileges  of  his  church.  And  we,  the  members  of  this 
church,  cordially  receive  you  into  our  communion ;  and  we 
covenant  to  watch  over  you,  and  to  promote  your  spiritual 
edification  with  all  fidelity  and  tenderness,  treating  you  in 
truth  and  love  as  belonging  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who 
is  head  over  all  things  to  the  church,  which  is  his  body,  the 
fullness  of  him  that  fiUeth  all  in  all. 

May  the  grace  of  Grod  make  you  and  us  perfect  to  do  his 
will,  that  we  may  walk  together  in  love,  preserving  the  unity 
of  the  Spirit  in  the  bonds  of  peace  ;  making  us  to  abound  in 
every  good  word  and  work ;  and  at  last,  being  found  pos- 
sessed of  a  character,  adorned  with  every  Christian  virtue, 
may  we  all  be  so  happy  as  to  meet  in  the  mansions  of 
heaven,  and  unite  our  hearts  and  voices,  with  an  innumer- 
able multitude,  in  the  song  of  blessing  and  honor,  glory  and 
power,  to  him  who  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb 
forever  and  ever.     Amen. 

EVANGELICAL  CONGREGATIONAL  SOCIETY. 
On  the  second  of  August,  1830,  the  seceding 
members  of  the  first  parish  met  and  organized 


150 


TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


under  the  name  the  of  Evangelical  Congregational 
Society  of  Gardner.  On  the  11th  of  the  same 
month  Rev.  S.  Lincoln  was  installed  as  pastor 
of  the  church  and  society.  By  much  trial  and 
great  sacrifice,  the  new  organization  built  a 
meeting-house  at  a  cost  of  about  two  thousand 
dollars,  which  was  dedicated  June  16th,  1831  ;* 
and  continued  to  be  their  house  of  worship  until 
they  removed  to  their  present  house,  which  was 
built  in  1856,  at  an  expense  of  about  nine  thou- 
sand dollars. 

This  church,  while  it  was  under  the  care  of 
Mr.  Lincoln,  was  actively  engaged  in  the  moral 
reforms  of  the  day ;  it  was  especially  so  in  rela- 
tion to  anti-slavery  and  temperance.  It  was 
here  that  the  Worcester  County  North  Anti- 
Slavery  Society  was  formed. 

During  the  ministration  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  as 
also  of  his  successor,  Mr.  Stone,  this  church  had 
quite  too  much  anti-slavery  spirit  to  be  very 
popular  with  most  of  the  neighboring  Orthodox 
churches. 

One  hundred  and  twenty  persons  united  with 
the  church  by  profession  under  Mr.  Lincoln's 
ministry  of  eleven  and  one-half  years.     In  com- 

*S.  V.  S.  "Wilder,  Esq.,  gave  the  Society  $100  towards  building-  their  meet- 
ing-house; also,  a  Communion  Service  and  Bible. 


TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  "l^^-j^ 

pliance  with  his  request,  he  was  dismissed  Feb. 
23d,  1842. 

A  call  having  been  extended  and  accepted  by 
Eev.  William  B.  Stone,  the  same  council  that 
dismissed  Mr.  Lincoln,  proceeded  to  ordain  and 
install  him. 

Mr.  Stone's  pastorate  was  eight  years  ;  during 
that  time  there  were  seventy-six  additions  to  the 
church  ;  he  left  this  people  in  September,  1850, 
in  consequence  of  ill  health. 

E.ev.  D.  C.  Frost  preached  as  a  supply  one 
year,  and  was  succeeded  by  Kev.  Mr.  Grosvenor, 
who  only  remained  a  few  months. 

The  church  then  secured  the  services  of  Rev. 
A.  Stowell,  who  continued  their  pastor  five  years. 
Thirty-six  were  added  to  the  church  during  that 
time. 

Dec.  7th,  1857,  Rev.  J.  W.  Healy  was  installed 
as  pastor  of  this  church,  and  was  dismissed,  at 
his  own  request,  July  11th,  1859;  during  his 
ministry  there  were  thirty-five  additions  to  the 
church  by  profession,  and  twenty-six  by  letter. 

Rev.  Samuel  J.  Austin  was  installed  pastor  of 
the  church  Dec.  8th,  1859.  The  church  now 
numbers  two  hundred  and  eight. 

The  following  covenant  was  adopted  in  1847, 
during  the  period  of  Mr.  Stone's  labors. 


152 


TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL   HISTORY. 


ARTICLES  OF  FAITH. 

1st.  We  believe  that  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  and  New 
Testaments  were  given  by  inspiration  of  God.  That  they 
are  profitable  for  doctrine,  for  correction,  for  reproof,  for 
instruction  in  righteousness,  and  that  they  are  the  only  effi- 
cient rule  of  Christian  faith  and  practice. 

2d.  We  believe  that  God  is  a  being  of  infinite  perfec- 
tions, both  natural  and  moral,  governing  all  things  accord- 
ing to  his  own  will,  and  existing  consequently  with  his  unity 
in  three  persons.  Father,  and  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost. 

3d.  We  believe  in  the  free  agency,  moral  obligations, 
and  accountability  of  man.  That  in  consequence  of  the  first 
transgression,  he  became  destitute  of  holiness  and  prone  to 
evil,  and  obnoxious  to  the  right eous  justice  of  God. 

4th.  We  believe  that  Christ  by  his  sufferings  and  death 
made  atonement  for  sin.  That  it  is  abundantly  sufficient  for 
the  whole  world.  And  that  those  who  reject  his  gospel 
perish  in  unbelief,  entirely /rom  their  oivn  fault. 

5th.  We  believe  in  the  necessity  of  a  change  of  heart, 
whereby  its  natural  aversion  to  holiness  gives  place  to  the 
grace  and  love  of  God  in  Christ.  And  that  the  change  is 
wrought  by  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

6th.  We  believe  that  the  only  meritorious  ground  of  the 
sinner's  justification  and  pardon  is  the  atoning  sacrifice  and 
righteousness  of  Christ.  That  while  justification  is  through 
faith  alone,  it  is  through  that  living  faith  which  unfailing 
and  perseveringly  abounds  in  good  ivories,  and  all  the  fruits  of 
the  Spirit.     And  that  salvation  is  entirely  by  grace. 

7th.  We  believe  in  the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  both  of 
the  just  and  the  unjust.  That  all  mankind  must  appear  be- 
fore the  judgment  seat  of  Christ  to  be  awarded  according  to 
their  works.  The  iviched  to  go  away  into  everlasting  punish- 
meiit,  and  the  righteous  into  life  eternal. 


TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


153 


8th.  We  believe  that  the  ordinances  of  the  Neiv  Testa- 
ment are  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper. 

FORM  OF  COVENANT. 

You  do  now,  in  the  presence  of  the  heart-searching  God, 
and  this  religious  assembly,  voluntarily  avouch  the  Lord 
Jehovah  to  be  your  God,  and  the  supreme  object  of  your 
affections.  You  acknowledge  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  your 
only  Saviour,  and  the  Holy  Ghost  as  your  sanctifier.  Re- 
penting of  all  your  past  sins,  you  promise  in  future  con- 
stantly, by  the  aid  of  God,  to  render  your  life  conformable 
to  his  requirements.  That  you  will  observe  the  Sabbath 
and  attend  to  the  ordinances  of  the  Gospel.  That  you  will 
endeavor  to  advance  the  cause  of  temjycrance,  moral  jjurity. 
anti-slavery  and  loeace.  And  that  henceforth,  denying  all 
ungodliness  and  every  worldly  lust ;  you  will  live  soberly 
and  righteously  and  godly  in  the  world.  You  promise,  by 
becoming  a  member  of  the  visible  church  in  this  place,  to 
submit  to  the  gospel  discipline,  rules  and  regulations,  as 
established  and  practiced  in  the  same. 

Thus  you  covenant  and  'promise.  (Then  the  church  rise.) 
We  then,  as  members  of  the  church  of  Christ,  welcome  you 
to  our  fellowship  and  communion  at  the  table  of  our  common 
Lord,  whose  body  was  broken,  and  whose  blood  was  shed 
for  the  remission  of  sins.  We  promise,  expecting  the  same 
from  you  towards  us,  to  exercise  over  you  the  watchfulness 
of  Christian  love.  May  the  grace  of  God  make  us  perfect  to 
do  his  ivill.  That  we  may  walk  together  as  brethen,  pre- 
servinrj  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in  the  bonds  of  peace,  making 
us  to  abound  in  every  good  word  and  work. 

At  last,  preserving  a  character,  adorned  with  every  Chris- 
tian virtue,  may  we  all  be  so  happy  as  to  meet  in  the  man- 

14 


154 


TOWN  HISTORY  —ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


sions  of  Heaven,  and  unite  our  voices  with  an  innumerable 
multitude,  in  the  song  of  blessing  and  honor,  glory  and 
praise  to  Him  that  sitteth  upon  the  throne  and  unto  the 
Lamb  forever  and  ever.     Amen. 


HISTORY  OF  THE  BAPTIST  CHURCH, 

As  taken  from  the  minutes  of  the  Sixteenth  Anniversary  of  the 
Wachusett  Baptist  Association  held  m  Templeton,  September  8th 
and  9th,   1858. — By  Leavis  H.  Bradford.] 

The  first  movement  of  the  South  Gardner 
Baptist  Church  was  in  the  year  1830,  when 
twenty-three  brethren  and  sisters  of  the  Baptist 
Church  in  Templeton,  who  resided  in  Gardner, 
represented  by  letter  to  the  church  that  "  the}- 
thought  their  number  and  circumstances  such 
that  it  would  be  for  their  advantage,  and  the 
general  interest  of  the  cause  of  Christ,  to  be  or- 
ganized into  a  distinct  church" — and  on  the 
fifteenth  of  November,  in  the  same  year,  an  Ec- 
clesiastical Council  was  convened  at  the  house 
of  Sullivan  Jackson,  in  South  Gardner,  for  the 
purpose  of  organizing  and  recognizing  the 
church. 

The  council  was  composed  of  delegates  from 
the  churches  in  Templeton,  Westminster,  Prince- 
ton, and  West  Boylston.  The  venerable  pastor 
of  the  Templeton  church.  Rev.  Elisha  Andrews, 


TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


155 


was  chosen  Moderator,  and  the  Eev.  Abiel  Fisher, 
now  a  member,  but  then  pastor  of  the  West 
Boylston  church,  was  chosen  Scribe. 

The  Moderator, — "  Father  Andrews," — "  ex- 
hibited the  state  of  the  brethren  requesting  the 
council,  and  the  peculiar  views  of  the  Templeton 
church  in  relation  thereto." 

The  question,  "  Shall  a  church  be  constituted 
at  South  Gardner  ?"  was  argued  at  great  length, 
some  doubting  as  to  the  expediency,  but  on  the 
whole,  it  was  finally  voted  in  the  affirmative,  and 
the  council  proceeded  to  recognize  the  church 
by  a  public  meeting  in  the  south-west  district 
school-house.  Brother  Fisher  preached;  Bro. 
Appleton  Morse,  pastor  of  the  church  in  Prince- 
ton, gave  the  hand  of  fellowship,  and  "  Father 
Andrews,"  the  charge. 

At  the  same  time  Bro.  Sullivan  Jackson  was 
ordained  as  deacon  of  the  church, — and  among 
its  early  friends,  no  name  is  more  fragrant  than 
the  name  of  this  beloved  brother  ;  his  house  and 
his  heart  were  always  open  to  its  demands. 

The  first  regular  pastor  of  the  church  was 
Rev.  Samuel  Glover,  who  was  settled  in  the 
spring  of  1831 ;  he  labored  with  them  until  the 
year  1834,  and  during  his  connection  with  the 
church,  nineteen  individuals  were  baptized  ;  and 


1  Kg  TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 

the  meeting-house  was  erected,  the  funds  having 
mainly  been  contributed  by  Sullivan  Jackson, 
George  Scott,  and  Walter  Greenwood. 

The  second  pastor  was  Rev.  Winthrop  Morse, 
who  continued  his  labors  but  a  few^  months  in 
the  year  1834,  yet  retained  his  connection  with 
the  church  as  a  member  until  June  20th,  1847. 

Kev.  Joshua  Millett  was  his  successor  until 
1835,  and  afterwards,  in  the  same  year,  Rev. 
John  Holbrook,  who  remained  but  three  months. 
No  baptisms  are  recorded  while  the  three  last 
named  individuals  served  the  church. 

In  1837,  Bro.  John  Clapp  was  ordained  as 
pastor,  and  that  year  fourteen  persons  were  bap- 
tized. Previous  to  Bro.  Clapp's  connection  Avith 
the  church  no  regular  choir  singing  had  been 
enjoyed;  he  being  a  good  singer,  and  no  one 
leading  off  after  the  hymns  w^ere  read,  he  would 
officiate  as  singer  and  preacher.  Soon  after  he 
came  amongst  them  he  opened  a  singing  school 
for  the  benefit  of  the  choir. 

The  next  year,  Bro.  Andrew  Pollard,  now  the 
pastor  of  the  Taunton  Green  Baptist  Church, 
commenced  preaching  to  them,  and  was  ordained 
as  pastor  May  1st,  1839.  During  his  pastorate 
twenty-one  individuals  were  baptized. 

In  June,   1840,  Bro.  William  H.   Dalrymple 


TOWN  HISTORY— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


157 


was  settled  as  pastor,  and  remained  until  Octo- 
ber, 1842  ;  seven  persons  were  baptized  under 
his  ministry.  He  was  succeeded  by  Eev.  Erastus 
Andrews  and  Eev.  W.  B.  Jones,  who  supplied 
them  with  preaching  until  Oct.,  1843.  Neither 
one  of  the  last  named  permanently  resided  in  the 
town,  and  no  baptisms  are  reported. 

April  21st,  1844,  Eev.  Josiah  H.  Tilton,  now 
the  pastor  of  the  Holden  Baptist  Church,  was 
chosen  pastor ;  five  individuals  were  baptized 
while  he  was  with  them.  His  labors  closed  in 
1847,  and  Eev.  Benjamin  H.  Cliffts'  services 
were  secured  until  the  spring  of  1849,  and  that 
year  Eev.  Amasa  Brown,  now  Agent  of  the 
American  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  was  chosen 
pastor  ;  during  his  pastorate  of  ^Ye  years,  nine- 
teen individuals  were  baptized. 

He  was  succeeded  in  the  fall  of  1854,  by  the 
present  pastor,  Eev.  Eichard  K.  Ashley,  and 
nineteen  individuals  have  put  on  Christ  by  bap- 
tism under  his  ministry. 

All  the  above  named  Pastors  and  Ministers  it 
is  believed  have  labored  to  preach  the  gospel 
with  plainness  and  simplicity,  and  the  church 
have  enjoyed  several  very  pleasant  seasons  of 
the  outpourings  of  God's  Holy  Spirit. 

At  the  decease  of  Sister  Mary  Wright  Severy 

14* 


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TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


Bradford,  the  Church  and  Society  began  to 
receive  the  benefit  of  a  legacy  of  four  thousand 
dollars^  left  by  her  former  husband,  Abijah  Moore 
Severy,  the  income  of  which  is  only  to  be  used 
for  the  support  of  the  gospel  and  sacred  music 
in  connection  with  the  church  and  society. 

All  but  two  or  three  of  the  original  members 
have  died,  or  are  infirm  and  unfit  for  active  duty, 
and  we  trust  are  patiently  awaiting  the  sum- 
mons to  go  home. 

In  conclusion,  as  we  look  over  the  record  of 
this  churcli,  while  sad  reverses  have  sometimes 
beclouded  its  history,  the  eye  of  faith  can  see  the 
hand  of  Divine  Providence  that  has  interposed 
in  her  behalf,  and  though  assailed  by  the  winds 
of  adversity,  her  march  is  onward  and  upward, 
through  the  strength  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
The  church  now  numbers  one  hundred  members. 

A  Summary  Declaration  of  the  Faith  and  Practice  of  the 
Baptist  Church  in  South  Gardner. 

STAXDIXG  RESOLUTIOXS  AND  VOTES  OF  THE  CHL'ECH. 

Resolved,  That  it  is  the  duty  of  the  pastor,  clerk,  or  one 
of  the  deacons,  to  visit,  or  write  to  any  member  of  this 
church,  who  shall  neglect  to  attend  the  church  conference, 
or  forward  to  the  church  some  communication,  once  in  three 
months. 

Resolved,  That  this  church  recommend  to   its   members, 


TOWN  HISTORY.-ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY.  j^^g 

who  may  remove  to   the  vicinity  of  another   church  of  the 
same  denomination,  to  unite  with  that  church  without  delay. 

Voted,  That  the  Covenant  be  read  at  each  monthly  church 
Conference. 

Voted,  That  the  Articles  of  Faith  and  Covenant  shall  be 
read  to  each  candidate  for  church  membership,  and  his 
assent  had  before  baptism. 

SUMMARY  DECLARATION. 

Believing  it  to  be  the  duty  of  Christians  to  make  a  public 
declaration  of  their  christian  belief  for  the  honor  of  Christ 
and  the  good  of  his  cause  on  earth,  we,  therefore,  deem  it 
suitable  to  make  the  following 

DECLARATION  : 

Article  T.  We  believe  the  Holy  Scriptures  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testaments  are  the  word  of  Grod,  and  our  only 
rule  of  Faith  and  Practice.  2  Tim.  3  :  16.  2  Peter  1  :  21. 
Heb.  1  :   1,2.     John  5:   39. 

Article  IT.  We  believe  there  is  but  one  only  living 
and  true  Grod,  and  that  he  has  made  himself  known  to  his 
people  by  the  several  names  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy 
G-host,  who  are  equal  in  nature,  power,  and  glory.  Duet. 
6:  4.  Eph.  4:6.  1  John  5:7.  2  Cor.  13:  14.  John 
5:   23.     John  1:   1,14.     John  13:  26.     Matt.  12:   31,  32. 

Article  III.  We  believe  that  man  was  created  in  the 
image  of  Grod,  holy,  innocent,  and  happy ;  but,  that  he  fell 
from  that  state,  and  lost  all  communion  with  Grod,  by  vio- 
lating a  known  command  of  his  Maker,  and  that  we  are  all 
so  affected  by  his  apostacy,  and  that  by  nature  we  are 
wholly  inclined  to  evil,  and  hence  have  become  servants  of 


160 


TOWN   HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


sin,  and  subjects  of  eternal  punisliment.     Gen.  1  :  27.    Rom. 
o:   12,  19.     Gen.  6:   5.     Ps.  14:    1,  3. 

Article  IV.  We  believe  that  the  only  way  of  salvation 
from  this  state  of  guilt  and  condemnation,  is  through  the 
righteousness  and  atonement  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of 
God,  who,  as  the  Savior  of  his  people,  confers  upon  all 
those  who  repent  and  believe  in  him,  all  blessings,  temporal, 
spiritual,  and  eternal ;  and  that  it  is  the  duty  of  all  men  to 
repent  and  believe.  Luke  19:  10.  John  3:  16.  Rom. 
3:   24,25.     Rom.  8  :   32.     Acts  17  :   30. 

Article  V.  We  believe  that  aU  who  are  ever  brought 
to  repentance  and  faith  in  the  Gospel,  were  chosen  in  Christ 
unto  salvation,  through  sanctification  of  the  Spirit,  and  be- 
lief of  the  truth  ;  that  repentance  is  produced  by  the  effica- 
cious grace  of  God ;  and  that  it  is  the  duty  of  every  be- 
liever to  strive  for  sanctification.  Eph.  1  :  4,  5.  2  Thess. 
2:  13.  1  Pet.  1:  2.  Philip.  2 :  13.  2  Tim.  1:  9. 
James  1:   18.     1  Thess.  4  :   3.     5:   23. 

Article  YL  We  believe  that  ail  who  are  renewed  by 
the  Holy  Ghost,  are  kept  by  the  power  of  God  through  faith 
unto  salvation.  John  10  :  28,  29.  Philip.  1:6.  1  Pet. 
1:    5. 

Article  VII.  We  believe  that  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  called  the  Lord's  Day,  ought  to  be  kept  holy  as  the 
Christian  Sabbath.  Exodus  20  :  8.  Rev.  1:10.  Acts 
20:   7. 

Article  VIII.  We  believe  that  the  only  proper  sub- 
jects of  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper  are  believers  ;  that 
Baptism  is  properly  administered  only  by  emersion,  and  is, 
by  scriptural  example,  a  prerequisite  to  admission  to  the 
Lord's  Table.  Mark  16:  16.  Acts  8  :  36—39.  John  3  : 
23.     Rom.   6  :  3,  4,     Col.  2:12.     1  Pet.  3  :  21. 


TOWN   HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY. 


161 


AnTiCLE  IX.  We  believe  that  there  will  be  a  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead,  both  of  the  just  and  of  the  unjust ;  and 
that  we  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ, 
to  receive  according  to  the  deeds  done  in  the  body  ;  and 
that  the  sentence  then  passed  will  be  eternal.  John  5  :  28, 
29.  Acts  24:  15.  Mark  12:  26,  27.  2  Cor.  5:  10. 
Matt.  25:  46. 

COVENANT. 

Having  been  brought,  as  we  trust,  to  believe  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  we  do  now,  relying  on  his  gracious  aid, 
solemnly  enter  into  covenant  with  each  other  in  the  follow- 
ing manner. 

We  will  strive  to  walk  together  in  brotherly  love,  while 
at  the  same  time  we  will  endeavor  to  watch  over  one 
another,  and  kindly  and  affectionately  admonish  each  other 
as  occasion  may  require  :  we  will  not  forsake  the  assembling 
of  ourselves  together  for  worship,  especially  at  the  covenant 
meetings  and  communion  seasons  of  the  church,  unless 
providentially  prevented  :  we  will  not  neglect  the  great 
duty  of  secret  prayer,  both  for  ourselves  and  others  :  as 
parents,  we  will  maintain  the  worship  of  Grod  in  our  families, 
and  endeavor  to  bring  up  our  children,  and  those  under  our 
care,  in  the  ways  of  true  piety  :  we  will  carefully  abstain 
from  all  foolish  talking,  and  from  giving  currency  to  any 
slanderous  reports  concerning  brethren  or  sisters,  as  well 
as  from  all  unnecessary  worldly  conversation  on  the  Sab- 
bath :  as  the  faithful  stewards  of  the  Lord,  we  will  aid,  ac- 
cording to  our  ability,  in  sustaining  the  gospel  in  its  purity, 
both  at  home  and  abroad  :  with  tenderness  and  sympathy 
we  will  endeavor  to  bear  each  other's  burdens  and  sorrows  ; 
and  finally,  we  will  diligently  study  the  word  of  God,  that 


162 


TOWN  HISTORY.— ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY 


we  may  know  and  do   our  whole  duty,   and  be  followers  of 
God  as  dear  children. 

To  all  which  we  give  our  assent,  in  the  presence  of  God, 
angels,  and  men. 


The  following  list  shows  the  succession  of 
Deacons  of  the  Churches.  The  dates  prefixed 
indicate  the  time  of  their  election  to  office. 

First  Congregational  Church. 

1791,  November    24,  Dayid  Foster. 

1791,  "  24,  Jonas  Richardson. 

1815,  September  21,  Noah  Fairbanks. 

1815,  "  21,  Lewis.  Glazier. 

1815,  "  21,  Jonathan  Bancroft. 

1830,  "  21,  Elisha  Jackson. 

1830,  "  21,  Smyrna  W.  Bancroft. 

1856,  "  5,  Horace  Whitney. 

Evangelical  Congregational  Church. 

Noah  Fairbanks. 

Lewis  Glazier. 

Jonathan   Bancroft. 
1839,  June  8,         Samuel  H.  Clark. 

1839,     "  8,         Joseph  D.  Sawin. 

Baptist  Church. 

1830,  November    15,         Sulliyan  Jackson. 
Asa  Perley. 
Benjamin  Stone. 
Marcius  a.  Gates. 


TOWN  HISTORY, 


163 


At  this  period  we  bring  our  brief  and  imper- 
fect sketch  to  a  close.  We  have  followed  along 
the  course  of  this  history,  sometimes  smooth  and 
sometimes  troubled,  for  a  period  of  about  seventy- 
five  years  ;  which,  with  all  its  scenes  and  events, 
is  now  among  the  things  that  were ;  of  which 
"  the  memory  fondly  delights  to  recall." 

Such  recollections  of  the  past  have  a  good 
moral  influence  on  the  generations  present  and 
to  come.  We  learn  in  some  degree,  to  appre- 
ciate the  hardships  of  those  who  were  the  pion- 
eers of  society  and  who  first  made  the  sound  of 
the  axe  to  be  heard  in  the  forest.  We  are  better 
prepared  to  estimate  the  advantages  we  enjoy, 
and  the  responsibility  that  attends  the  posses- 
sion of  such  advantages. 

We  are  also  connected,  in  an  important  sense, 
with  those  who  have  lived  in  ages  past,  and 
others  who  are  yet  to  come,  exerting  an  influ- 
ence from  generation  to  generation  that  will 
continue  to  flow  on  to  the  end  of  time. 


